Andy Murray’s career ended in the summer during the Paris Olympics, where he only played doubles with Dan Evans. The latter has given up defending his title won in 2023 in Washington to play alongside the three-time Grand Slam champion, a testimony of affection that certifies the impact of ‘Muzza’ on this sport over the last 20 years.
The former world number 1 has faced several physical problems in the last years of his career and also underwent a delicate hip surgery, which allowed him to play for a few more years. The former Scottish champion’s level is no longer what it used to be, but Andy has never given up and has become a model for young tennis players.
Murray won a lot during his career and was number 1 in the world, although he played in the same era of the Big 3. The Briton did not have the talent and elegance of Roger Federer, did not have the explosiveness of Rafael Nadal and did not have the elasticity of Novak Djokovic, but he found a way to carve out a prime spot on the ATP tour.
An amazing career
Andy received a wonderful and exciting tribute from his colleagues during the last edition of the Wimbledon Championships, where he played doubles with his brother Jamie. Although he loved tennis, Murray knew it was time to retire and start a new chapter in his life with his family.
The 3-time Grand Slam champion, who played the last matches of his career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, gave a long interview to the BBC in which he spoke about his first weeks as a retired player. Murray explained that the retreat “up to this point has been the exact opposite of what he expected and that he does not miss tennis as he thought”.
“Since I quit, Murray explains, I feel really free and have a lot of time to do what I want. I can spend time with my children and have free time to play golf or go to the gym in my own way. It’s really nice and I didn’t expect it. I expected to find a tough situation, to miss tennis and want to go back to the tennis court. No, it’s been the exact opposite of what I thought”.
Murray acknowledged that “there is no perfect ending for a tennis player, but he revealed that he now feels no guilt towards his children and his wife Kim. The thing that I always found difficult in recent years is that there was always a sense of guilt associated with what I was doing. If I were to go on a trip of three or four weeks I would feel guilty about leaving my children at home or being away from my wife. These things have been difficult for me in recent years.
Tennis is a very lonely sport – continued the former World No.1 on the BBC – sometimes it was really hard for me to reach the final at Wimbledon and be criticized or feel like I’m not good enough. Which I think is wrong. My perception was that I felt attached even when I was doing really well, and it was pretty hard”. Murray says he “will continue to love tennis”, but is “focusing a lot on golf”.
Murray has no regrets
The former Scottish champion has twice won the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open, as well as winning two gold medals at the Olympics in London 2012 (beating Federer in the final) and Rio 2016 (defeating Potro in the final). In a recent interview with Sky Sports, former ATP star Tim Henman praised ‘Muzza’: “I think success is about maximising your potential and when you look at Andy’s work ethic, his hunger and desire, his motivation and his competitive spirit, it’s been absolutely phenomenal to watch. I think he will be able to sit back eventually and reflect on an incredible career. I think Andy has been a brilliant ambassador for both the men’s and the women’s game. I think his moral compass is always pretty accurate and I think he has been a great role model.
I think his two Wimbledon titles are his greatest achievement. Understanding everything that goes with being a British player and competing at the Championships. For him to be able to get across the line and win the biggest event in our sport – on two occasions for me is his greatest achievement. What do I think Andy will do next? Hopefully relax a little bit!” After resting, Andy will understand what his role in the tennis world is going to be.
