What Andy Murray's Loss to Mischa Zverev Means for French Open 2017

Andy Murray will have to wait at least another year to capture the elusive Australian Open title after his run in the 2017 event came to an end on Sunday with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 loss to Mischa Zverev in the fourth round.

BBC Sport noted the star's exit from the season's first major.

Murray battled to level at one set apiece following a sluggish start to the round-of-16 meeting, but a convincing third-set performance from his German opponent set the fixture up for a swifter-than-expected finish.

Piers Newbery of BBC Sport highlighted Zverev's rise to the occasion, with a gulf separating him and Murray coming into Sunday's showdown:

Murray entered the tournament as the top seed after a strong finish to the 2016 campaign that included winning Wimbledon, an Olympic gold medal and the ATP World Tour Finals. But even that top billing wasn't enough to get him over the hump in Melbourne.

It's somewhat surprising the 29-year-old Scottish sensation hasn't won the Aussie Open yet. He came into this year's edition having reached the final five times in the past seven years. But a 2010 loss to Roger Federer and four championship defeats to Novak Djokovic kept the trophy out of reach.

John Pye of the Associated Press previously passed along Murray's thoughts about how much he enjoys Melbourne Park despite being unable to earn the champion label.

"I obviously feel pretty confident after the way that last season finished," he said. "I do love it here. I love the conditions. I have played really well here over the years, and just haven't managed to get over the final hurdle."

Of course, the problem is he's starting to reach the back end of his prime years. While Federer has shown it's possible to play well into your mid-30s, he's won just a single Grand Slam title since 2011. So Murray is running out of chances to make sure he gets an Australian Open triumph.

That's not something he can worry about as the season moves forward, though. The French Open, where he's failed to capture the title in nine tries, is the next major on the docket. It doesn't start until late May, however, so there's a lot of tennis to play between now and then.

Murray reached the final of the clay-court major for the first time in 2016 but fell to Djokovic. Yet his winning percentage in the year's second major (79 percent) is right in line with his results in the Australian and U.S. Opens, which showcases his versatility.

A deep run in Paris would set the stage for another successful second half of the campaign. Winning the title would give him the chance to make 2017 his best year yet.

Murray has never won more than one Grand Slam title in any season. Capturing his first French crown with Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, the two majors he's previously won, still on the horizon would give him a golden opportunity to change that.