Andy Murray has officially announced that the Paris Olympics will mark the end of his remarkable and resilient tennis career. The 37-year-old is concluding an incredible journey that has seen him triumph in three Grand Slams, clinch 46 ATP Tour singles titles, and win two Olympic gold medals.
Although he had hoped for a final hurrah at Wimbledon earlier this year, a back injury forced him to withdraw from the men’s singles draw and his mixed doubles partner, Emma Raducanu, also had to pull out due to a wrist injury. He did, however, have the opportunity to compete alongside his brother Jamie in the men’s doubles, but they were knocked out in the first round.
In Paris, he plans to take part in both the singles and doubles events, making it his fifth appearance at the Olympic Games. Andy Murray has confirmed that the Paris Olympics will be his ‘last-ever tennis tournament’. He wrote on X: ‘I have arrived in Paris for my final tennis tournament. My time competing for Great Britain has been the most memorable period of my career and I feel extremely proud to have the opportunity to do it one last time!’ In a recent interview with HELLO! magazine, he stated: ‘I will definitely continue playing tennis, just not professionally. I plan to play more golf, and I will also continue working with my strength and conditioning coach, Matt Little, as I transition from being a full-time athlete to not needing to put in as much effort.’
Murray has been a regular fixture on our screens for almost two decades, having entered the ATP Tour top 10 in 2007. His first Olympic experience was in Beijing in 2008, where he was eliminated in the first round. In 2012, he secured his first Olympic gold in London by defeating Roger Federer, avenging his loss in the Wimbledon final earlier that year. Following his withdrawal from Queen’s on June 19, he underwent surgery to remove a spinal cyst. Despite making progress, he was not able to recover in time to participate in the singles draw at Wimbledon. In July 2013, Murray became the first British male to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry, defeating Novak Djokovic. In 2016, he made history by becoming the first player to successfully defend an Olympic singles title, beating Juan Martin del Potro in Rio. He secured his first Grand Slam title in 2012 at the US Open, defeating Novak Djokovic in a five-set final. The following year, he finally lifted the coveted Wimbledon trophy, defeating Djokovic again, this time in straight sets. He added to his collection with another Wimbledon victory in 2016, defeating Milas Raonic in three sets.
After exiting Wimbledon alongside his brother, Murray delivered an emotional message to Centre Court, saying: ‘It’s difficult because I would love to continue playing, but it’s just not possible. Physically, it’s too demanding now. All the injuries have built up and, as I said, they have not been insignificant. ‘I want to play forever. I love this sport. It has given me so much and taught me many lessons over the years that I can apply to the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop, so it’s hard.’ Just two weeks prior to Wimbledon, Murray was unable to walk properly due to a cyst on his spine that had been pressing on a nerve. On July 22, he underwent surgery to remove the cyst and bravely battled against the odds to be ready for Wimbledon
