Andy Murray announced that he will retire from tennis after the Paris Olympics. The Scottish champion has always had a special feeling with the Olympic tournament, having won two consecutive gold medals (at London 2012 and Rio 2016 respectively).
The three-time Grand Slam champion shows up in Paris without much expectation, after undergoing a back surgery last month. Andy couldn’t play the singles at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, but he greeted the crowd by playing doubles with his brother Jamie. The former World No.1 has received amazing compliments from his great rivals, who have praised him for his qualities on and off the tennis court. Murray has been at his best throughout his career and has shocked the world by playing well despite a metal hip.
The British champion had practically announced his retirement at the 2019 Australian Open, before undergoing a delicate hip operation that allowed him to play for a few more years. Murray has not returned to the levels of his past, but he has been an example of determination and grit for many young players. The hope of fans and experts is that the Scotsman will fully enjoy his last moments on the tennis court.
Simon pays tribute to Andy Murray
During a long interview with L’Equipe, former ATP ace and current Daniil Medvedev’s coach Gilles Simon paid tribute to Andy Murray: “Andy Murray is far more talented than we think. One of the most talented people we’ve ever seen. As he was above all a solid player, who ran everywhere and did not make any mistakes, we categorized him as a non-talented player. But we make a capital mistake by systematically associating talent with flamboyant style of play. Even on the street, he was able to pull out a lob at the end of the line that fell ten centimeters before the line! He has an incredible hand.
The former world number 1 was able to win 3 Grand Slam titles and several Masters 1000 tournaments in the same era as the Big 3, as well as becoming the world number 1 in 2016.
During the latest edition of his podcast, former ATP ace Andy Roddick opened up on Murray: “All I continue to want is for Murray to have the send off at Wimbledon, because I don’t think people understand, even casual tennis fans, how monumental him winning Wimbledon in that country was at the time that he won it. And all I want is for this extended respect, to have that moment to say goodbye on his terms.
Unlike Novak, I don’t think he needs to be perfect to have a send off. I don’t think it’s like, ‘I need to feel like I can win the tournament or I’m not participating.’ I don’t think that would be his mindset. It’s purely projection. I don’t know. He’s earned the goodbye. He’s earned every possible advantage, scheduling, anything they can do to accommodate him.”
Andy is proud of himself
Despite having a successful career, Andy has always been under-appreciated due to the presence of legends like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in his own time. The Scotsman leaves tennis without any regrets: “2016 was really different. I felt way less pressure and the enjoyment I got out of that win was totally different to 2013. I had an amazing evening that night with my all friends and family, properly went out and enjoyed it with the people closest to me. Of my Slams, 2016 was my favourite one. I don’t remember much of that night. I had a few drinks and I did unfortunately vomit in the cab on the way home. It’s been incredible to watch what they’ve done. It’s been incredible to be a part of some of the matches in major championships with them over the years. I was fortunate to manage to get through them a couple of times in big moments but what a time to be on the tour.”
During his long career, Murray has won twice at Wimbledon and once at the US Open after losing several Grand Slam finals. Andy can be considered as one of the best players of all time. The Scotsman has also struggled to develop women’s tennis, including hiring Amelie Mauresmo as coach between 2014 and 2016. “I arrived in Paris for my last tennis tournament. The weeks spent playing for Great Britain were by far the most memorable of my career and I am extremely proud to be able to do it one last time,” the 3-time Grand Slam champion wrote on X before the start of the Paris Olympics.
