Andy Murray was already surrounded by breathless hype as a promising, precocious teenager taking his first steps into the main draw at Wimbledon, and nineteen years later he has an unprecedented Grand Slam singles career. it’s over. On Tuesday, he announced his withdrawal from the final men’s singles draw at Wimbledon due to an ongoing back injury.
Murray was scheduled to face the Czech Republic’s Tomas Mahak on Tuesday night, the latest possible match on Center Court, but after undergoing back surgery ten days ago, he simply could not recover enough to win the best-of-five-set match maintain a competitive level.
He ended his singles career in major tournaments as one of the best men’s tennis players in the history of the sport. Murray has won three Grand Slam titles, first at the 2012 U.S. Open and then at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016. Britain’s first men’s Wimbledon singles champion in 77 years, but a second title helped him finally reach Wimbledon.
For much of Murray’s prime, competing for the biggest titles meant desperately trying to hold his ground against the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer , these guys split such a large percentage of the major titles. Winning a Grand Slam usually means defeating two of the greatest players of all time at an event, and enduring a lot of defeat along the way.
Murray arrived at Wimbledon in 2005 with a growing reputation and by the time he left, he was already a universally acclaimed great player. Easily advancing to the third round, he was two sets ahead of David Nalbandian before collapsing and losing in five sets. Even at 18 years old, Murray possesses such a versatile, improvisational game, possesses a vast repertoire of shots, and has a keen understanding of how to use a variety of shots to inflict maximum discomfort on his opponents. But he is naturally thin compared to the grown men on the ATP Tour who compete in best-of-five-set Grand Slam events.
How Murray addresses this gap will define his career. The Scot has turned this weakness into one of his greatest strengths, undergoing countless training sessions in Miami’s stifling humidity, methodically transforming himself into a player capable of using his stamina and strength to defeat all odds. Challenger players.
Three years later, he came back from two sets down against Richard Gasquet in the final moments of their 2008 Wimbledon fourth round match on Center Court. It was one of the defining moments of his Grand Slam career.
But even as he has become a towering figure in professional tennis, a perennial top-four player who has swept 1,000 Masters titles and established a similar level of play in the biggest tournaments as the three all-time greats before him In terms of consistency, in terms of Grand Slam, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal are all better than him.
From his first Grand Slam final at the 2008 U.S. Open to his first win at the same venue four years later, Murray lost in his first four Grand Slam finals, three to Federer and one in a set. To Djokovic, only won one set. As Murray has throughout his career, he has had to endure many devastating losses, but his resilience and determination have allowed him to learn from them and become a better player.
Murray made up for his lack of natural ability by improving all aspects of his game, maximizing his physical fitness, tactical intelligence and problem-solving talents. Finally, with the hiring of Ivan Lendl in 2012, Murray understood that in order to beat the greatest players, he had to put perfectionism aside and accept the mistakes that naturally occur when taking risks.
The paradox of Murray is that he is a tinkerer and a strategist, and he will spare no effort in the preparation before the game. But too often, when things went wrong and he found himself stuck in a game, his success was driven by his most important strength: his ability to fight, compete and fight until the end.
Ultimately, the sheer effort it took for Murray to become champion was reflected in the numerous physical issues he suffered later in his career, including a hip problem that resulted in a metal butt inserted into his body. After giving everything he has given to himself and the sport, Murray deserves another chance to step onto center court and fight to the end. Still, Murray’s commitment and love for the sport, which has underlined his career over the past two decades, was one last seen as he attempted to return to action 10 days after back surgery.
