Andy Murray says it’s time for his illustrious career to come to an end after he and his brother Jamie were beaten in their final Wimbledon men’s doubles first-round match.
“I’m ready to finish because I can’t play at the level I want anymore,” he said. “I guess it’s a little bit out of my control. If I’d known my body was capable of doing this, I would have played the sport – I don’t hate the sport, and I think I don’t want to do it anymore for that reason. Doing it. I love competing, practicing, trying to get better, and yeah, I know it’s time.
Andy and Jamie Murray were beaten 7-6 (6), 6-4 by Australia’s Rinky Hijikata and John Peers on Center Court on Thursday night in what would be the final match of Andy’s career . Twelve days ago, Andy underwent back surgery to remove a spinal cyst. Although the 37-year-old Murray failed to recover in time to participate in the singles draw, Murray returned to doubles.
After a 19-year career and three Grand Slam wins, Andy plans to retire from professional tennis at the end of this summer. After the defeat, the All England Club held an awards ceremony to commemorate his career. Many former champions and current players stood courtside to pay their respects to Andy, including Novak Djokovic, Tim Henman, Iga Swiatek, John McEnroe and Martina · Navratilova.
“Look, this is great,” Andy said. “As the video was playing, my head started spinning. I knew I had to speak. Those moments are difficult because you have a lot of people to thank and a lot of people to address, but it’s not easy. It’s also very emotional. It’s good to watch the film, but it’s also hard for me because you know that something you’ve loved doing so much, yeah, for so long, is hard.
Andy will compete in mixed doubles for the last time at Wimbledon, where he will partner Emma Raducanu. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Andy will compete in his fifth Olympic Games in Paris before retiring. When asked what he considers his legacy to be, he said he was most proud of his enduring hard work and discipline.
“I think one of the things I’ve done really well in my career is that whether it’s the highs or the lows, whether it’s winning a race, having a tough loss, surgery, setbacks, I’ve been able to handle it the next day, like I always have. Just going into work with the same dedication, work ethic and enthusiasm as the day before, no matter the highs and lows the sport has brought me,” Murray said. “I certainly don’t always get it right. Just like on game day, I’m not perfect in any way, but I always put in the work and have a good day. I try my best. That’s who I am Something to be proud of.
