Andy Murray can hold his head high after his performance at the ATP World Tour Finals, according to former British number one Andrew Castle.
The Scot failed to make the semi-finals for the fourth time in six visits to the O2 Arena after losing 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 to Stan Wawrinka.
While his record at Queen's Club, Wimbledon and in home Davis Cup ties is superb, he has struggled to find his best form on the banks of the Thames.
His best performance at the tournament came on his debut in 2008 when it was held in Shanghai. He won all three group matches, including against Roger Federer.
Since it moved to the O2 he has only once beaten a higher-ranked player - Robin Soderling in 2010. He went on to lose an epic semi-final to Rafael Nadal that year, which remains the highlight of his six appearances.
Murray now turns his attention to the Davis Cup final against Belgium next weekend and, security concerns permitting, will travel with the rest of the team to Ghent on Sunday.
Great Britain's hopes of a first title since 1936 rest on the shoulders of Murray, who has won all eight of his Davis Cup matches this year.
Castle told Press Association Sport: " You might say he hasn't always played at his best here, although the match against Nadal was unbelievable.
"He might come back and win next year. I'd love to see him get through the group and have everything to throw at it but in a way I'm happy he's got the weekend off.
"He's done a fabulous job for GB this year, he's been a credit to himself. It takes a lot out of you.
"I think it's time for Andy just to head out onto the clay, take a day or two maybe and just relax a bit. Do whatever he wants to do. Walk the dogs, spend some time with Kim and then get ready for Belgium. This has been a week too far in a way.
"I think his effort last night was great but he's got one eye on Davis Cup, Kim's very pregnant, it's the end of a long year. I think this got in the way for him a bit.
"With the best will in the world, this is the seventh one of these he's been at but it's his first Davis Cup final."
Murray tried something different against Wawrinka by having his support team up in the stands rather than courtside.
The Scot had talked in his BBC column about the "comfort blanket" of having family and friends to turn to during tough moments on court.
"I quite liked that because he's got no audience to perform to," said Castle. "And if you're feeling frustrated or upset, and they're there, you can get that dialogue going.
"I think it was very self aware of him and them. They'd obviously talked about it. Andy ultimately will know better than anyone that he's out there alone and he has to get on with it alone, with their support and their love."
The surface at the O2 Arena should suit Murray and he was at a loss to explain why he has not managed to play his best here.
He said: "If I could then I would have done something about it.
"T his is obviously a big event, one that I would have liked to have done better at over the years. It just hasn't quite happened for me. I'm disappointed about that.
"I do enjoy playing here. Great crowds, good atmosphere. It's a really nice venue to play in. Wish I could have done better."
Murray is not too concerned about his form ahead of the clash in Ghent, where he will play his first match on Friday, almost certainly against Belgian number two Steve Darcis.
The world number two said: "Timing's never normally something that is an issue for me. I normally strike the ball fairly well. So that's something that I would imagine would come back fairly quickly.
"Right now I'm not so much concerned about next week. I'm just disappointed that I lost the last two matches."
Source: PA
