Andy Murray has hit out at claims that fatherhood has affected his performance on court, stating that being a good father takes priority over tennis.
The former Wimbledon champion was responding to commentators who have made the link between his on-court form since January and the birth of daughter Sophia in February.
Murray was knocked out of the Miami Open last month, losing a third-set lead in the third round of the tournament.
The British number one also went out of the Indian Wells Masters in the third round, with only two wins on the ATP World Tour since reaching the Australian Open final in January.
Wife Kim told him she had read an article which “sort of blamed” the birth of their daughter for him losing a match, Murray told the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
“That’s actually a horrible thing to say. That’s not the case but so what if she did? Why does that matter?” he said.
“Becoming a parent is life-changing and if it helps my tennis, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s fine. That’s not a problem for me now. My priority is to be a good father first.
“Normally, I’ve just had two bad tournaments and I’d be pretty gone about it. I’d be very down. I am still down about my tennis but I am just very happy with my life at home.”
