Andy Murray crashes out of the Monte Carlo Masters losing 6-1, 6-3 to Alex De Minaur in the first round, with Cam Norrie also losing to Francisco Cerundolo and Jack Draper advancing
- Andy Murray is defeated in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters
- He lost 6-1, 6-3 to 24-year-old world number 18 Alex De Minaur of Australia
- Cam Norrie also failed to get past the first round, while Jack Draper won
Andy Murray’s return to clay ended in a quick loss to Alex De Minaur in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
The 35-year-old, who skipped all but one of the 2022 clay swing tournaments, including the French Open, was blown away by the Australian 6-1 6-3 in Monaco.
Questions will now be asked about how long Murray will persevere on the surface he finds most difficult to play on following his hip surgery.
He started the match horribly, losing the first four games, and a third break of service by De Minaur allowed him to romp to the first set in 35 minutes.
Murray, playing this tournament for the first time since 2017, got into a debate with umpire Carlos Bernardes early in the second set when the Briton’s hat fell off during a point, but the Brazilian didn’t stop playing.
Andy Murray has fallen out of the Monte Carlo Masters in the first round
He was beaten 6-1, 6-3 by 24-year-old world number 18 Alex De Minaur of Australia
The pair discussed the change of ends rule and it negatively affected Murray, who was broken in the next game amid a number of unforced errors.
That proved decisive, as Murray could not find his best game, regularly yelling at his entourage, and De Minaur saw a comfortable win.
There was also a defeat for the British number one Cameron Norrie, who lost 6-3 6-4 against the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo.
Norrie made his way back into the game after a fast start from Cerundolo, but seemed unsteady throughout, committing 18 unforced errors compared to just eight winners.
The two-time Wimbledon champion struggled to get into the game against his younger opponent
Jack Draper is through to the second round with De Minaur, while Cam Norrie also lost
A netted forehand gave Cerundolo the crucial break in the ninth game of the second set as the pressure on the British number one finally became apparent.
Having started the season with a run of 21 wins from 25 games, Norrie, who is in 13th place, now needs to regain his confidence for the rest of the clay court stretch.
However, there was better news for Jack Draper, who made a winning comeback from injury to win 6-3 7-5 against another Argentine, Sebastian Baez.
Draper’s serve was under pressure throughout the game, but he saved 11 of the 12 break points he faced as he used three of his own four chances to set up a clash with 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz.