Sunday, December 22, 2024
Sports

Andy Murray to retire after Paris Olympic Games

Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray announced he will retire from tennis after the Paris Olympics, bringing an end to his 19-year career.

Murray, 37, withdrew from the Wimbledon singles championship earlier this month after failing to recover in time from a spinal cyst procedure. However, he did manage to bid farewell to the All England Club with a doubles match alongside his brother, Jamie, before receiving an on-court tribute.

Murray had previously said he would not play this season’s hard-court swing, meaning his final chance to play would come at Roland Garros at the Olympics. On Tuesday, he confirmed this will be his final appearance.

“Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament,” Murray wrote on X. “Competing for Team GB has been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get to do it one final time!”

The draw for the tennis tournament will take place Thursday, when Murray will learn who his first opponent will be. He is scheduled to play in the men’s singles tournament, as well as the doubles competition alongside Dan Evans.

Sources told ESPN that Murray is unlikely to receive an official on-court tribute when he exits or wins the Olympic competition.

David Haggerty, head of the International Tennis Federation, praised Murray for his contributions to the sport.

“Sir Andy has lived and breathed the values of tennis throughout his long career, championing equality and helping to send the message that our sport is for everyone,” Haggerty said.

“We will of course remember his two Olympic golds; his Grand Slam wins and his never-say-die attitude on the court. We will also remember his Davis Cup victory with Great Britain in 2015, helping his team to the title for the first time since 1936.

“While this wonderful chapter of his career is now drawing to a close, we know that Sir Andy’s love of tennis will see him continue to be involved in helping to grow and develop our sport globally.”

Murray is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, having won back-to-back titles at London 2012 and Rio 2016, each bookending the most successful period of his career.

Murray’s triumph at London 2012, where he won in the final with a straight-sets victory over Roger Federer, was his first major title. He followed it up by lifting his first Grand Slam title a month later, this time beating Novak Djokovic.

He went on to win at his next appearance at the All England Club the following year before winning the title for a second time in 2016.

Since then, Murray has faced a multitude of injury issues. He briefly retired in 2019 following two hip surgeries. His last ATP tournament victory came at Antwerp in October 2019.

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