Andy Murray has decided to close the chapter on his remarkable tennis career after he and his brother, Jamie, were defeated in the first round of the men’s doubles at his final Wimbledon.
Reflecting on Retirement
“I’m ready to finish playing because I can’t play to the level that I would want to any more,” Murray said.
“That’s something that I guess is a bit out of my control. If I knew my body was going to be able to do it, I would play – there’s nothing about the sport that I hate and I’m like, I don’t want to do it any more for this reason. I like the travelling. I love the competition, practicing, trying to get better, all those things. Yeah, I know that it’s time now. I’m ready for that.”
Final Doubles Match
On Thursday evening, Andy and Jamie Murray were defeated 7-6 (6), 6-4 on Centre Court by the Australians Rinky Hijikata and John Peers, marking one of Andy’s final matches. Just twelve days prior, Andy had undergone back surgery to remove a spinal cyst. Although the 37-year-old was unable to recover in time to compete in the singles draw, he returned to play doubles.
A Tribute to a Legendary Career
After a 19-year career that has included three grand slam victories, Andy plans to retire from professional tennis at the end of this summer. Following this defeat, the All England Club held a ceremony to honor his career. Numerous former champions and current players, including Novak Djokovic, Tim Henman, Iga Swiatek, John McEnroe, and Martina Navratilova, gathered to pay tribute to Andy.
“Look, it was really nice,” said Andy. “When the video was playing, my head was spinning a lot. I know I’m about to have to speak. It’s difficult in those moments ’cause there’s a lot of people you want to thank and address, but it is not easy. It was pretty emotional, as well. Watching the video was nice, but hard as well, for me because you know it’s coming to the end of something that you’ve absolutely loved doing, yeah, for such a long time. So that’s difficult.”
Final Wimbledon Appearance and Future Plans
Andy Murray will make his final Wimbledon appearance in the mixed doubles competition, partnering with Emma Raducanu. He will then compete at the Paris Olympics, his fifth Olympic Games, before retiring. When asked about his legacy, he expressed pride in his consistent effort and discipline throughout his career.
“I think the thing that I did a really good job of during my career was that, regardless of the highs and lows, whether it was winning tournaments, having difficult losses, an operation, a setback, that I was able to treat the next day like I always came into work with the same dedication, work ethic and passion, as I had the day before, regardless of the highs and lows that the sport kind of has thrown at me,” said Murray. “I certainly didn’t always get it right. Like on the match days, I was not perfect by any stretch, but I did always come into work and put in a good day. I gave my best effort. That’s what I’m proud of.”
Andy Murray’s Wimbledon Career Highlights
Breaking the Drought
– Andy Murray is the only British man to win Wimbledon in the Open Era, securing two championships.
Fast Starter
– Murray has never lost in the opening round of the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon, winning 11 of 15 matches in straight sets.
Joining the Elite
– Only Roger Federer (105), Novak Djokovic (92), Jimmy Connors (84), Boris Becker (71), and Pete Sampras (63) have won more men’s singles matches at Wimbledon than Murray, who has 61 victories.
Flying the Flag
– Murray is the only British player to win over 50 men’s singles matches in the Open Era, with Tim Henman next at 43.
The Big Four
– Murray is the only player to have beaten Djokovic on grass, Federer on hard court, and Rafael Nadal on clay at the ATP level.
With Murray leaving the court, he will surely be missed by the tennis fraternity.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
