The hurt from disappointing defeats “does not get any easier” said Andy Murray after a subdued display against Japan’s Taro Daniel saw him knocked out of the Australian Open in round two.
Britain’s Murray lost 6-4 6-4 6-4 to qualifier Daniel - ranked below him at 120 in the world.
It was a far cry from the 34-year-old’s performance in Tuesday’s victory over 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili. “When you know you’ve not got many years left it is frustrating,” he said.
“I put a lot into the off-season for practising and preparing, hopefully to not play like that in the big tournaments.
“So it is especially disappointing when you perform like that.”