Paris 2024: ‘Looking forward to a rest’ - Retired Andy Murray ‘proud’ after going down swinging at Olympic Games
Updated 01/08/2024 at 23:53 GMT+1
Andy Murray admitted he was “happy” his career was now at an end after he and Dan Evans lost to USA in the last eight of the Olympic men’s doubles. The 37-year-old has battled injuries in the latter part of his career and has decided the time is right to hang up his racquet. Murray was part of the most competitive era in history and leaves the game with three Grand Slams and two Olympic golds.
Tennis - Paris 2024 - Quarter Finals - Double - Murray/Evans
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When Andy Murray first launched the idea that he would not be playing much past this summer, he admitted he was not "looking forward to it”.
“Like in most jobs, when people retire, it’s generally more of a celebration because they’re looking forward to it,” he told Eurosport on Thursday night in Paris.
That is because he loves tennis and would love nothing more than to extend his career. But his body has failed him one too many times and he has now accepted the time is right to walk away from the sport he has given so much to.
“I obviously love playing tennis so I wasn’t necessarily really looking forward to that moment, but after I had the operation on my back after Queen’s, I was struggling to walk,” Murray added. “It was an emergency operation I had to have.
“I’ve been looking forward to the end because physically it’s been tough. I’m not able to move around the court and do things I want to do physically and therefore can’t compete to the level I want to.”
Murray came back from a debilitating hip injury that nearly forced him to retire in 2019, but he has not been the same player since.
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Watch emotional final point of Murray's legendary career as Team GB doubles run ends
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The mobility that once made him something of an immovable object at the back of the court had gone, as had some of the sting in his groundstrokes.
His game, coupled with an iron will, was still good enough to notch some impressive wins, but he struggled to put a string of high-level performances together.
The 37-year-old Scot planned to say goodbye to Wimbledon one last time this summer, and he got to, albeit not in the manner expected after the back injury at Queen’s put him back onto the operating table.
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Still, he got his farewell in the men’s doubles alongside his brother Jamie before one final tilt at Olympic glory.
It did not end in a medal in the French capital, but few could argue with the manner in which Murray went down swinging at Roland-Garros.
He and Team GB partner Dan Evans produced two scarcely believable escapology acts to make it into the quarter-finals before running out of gas against the highly accomplished American duo Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.
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Watch very emotional Murray leave court for final time after doubles defeat in Paris
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It means Murray ends his career with three Grand Slams, two Olympic gold medals and a legion of fans all over the world who will miss watching him battle for every ball and produce magic moments that will live long in the memories of many.
After everything he has been through - the brutal training regimes, lengthy periods of rehab and the work required to compete and win in arguably the greatest era of all time - he is now “happy” it is over.
Murrray said: “I was worried about it in the last year, 18 months, what I would do with myself, but I’m looking forward to the end.
“I’m proud of my career. I worked really hard to achieve the results that I did. I had a really difficult time to win the major titles. I’m proud.
“I gave it a good go. How my body’s finished shows that. I put my body through a lot training-wise and on the match court as well.
"Looking forward to a rest now.”
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'Quite brilliant' - Murray and Evans win unbelievable point in legend's final match
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