BACK INJURY ENDS ANDY MURRAY'S WIMBLEDON SINGLES CAREER
Andy Murray’s Wimbledon singles career was officially over yesterday, to the heartbreak of his legions of British fans.
Scores of spectators had camped overnight and queued for hours in the hope of seeing the Scot’s SW19 swan song ahead of his imminent retirement from professional tennis.
But their hopes were dashed when his representatives announced his ‘difficult’ decision to bow out of the men’s draw just hours before his first round clash with Czech Tomas Machac on Centre Court yesterday afternoon.
While many fans shared their sadness and disappointment over Murray’s exit, many sent moving messages of gratitude for his years of spectacular tennis that saw him net two Wimbledon titles and two Olympic gold medals.
And the next generation of British tennis players paid tribute to their ‘role model’ and thanked him for his support in forging their own fledgling careers.
He revealed his decision yesterday morning – while saying he would compete in the doubles with brother, Jamie – after failing to recover fully from spinal surgery ten days ago. It means an agonising five-set defeat by Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year’s second round will count as his final singles match at SW19.
In a statement, Murray’s team said: ‘Despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year.
‘He is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie and looks forward to competing at Wimbledon for the last time.’
The married father of four, 37, was forced to retire from his second-round match at Queen’s Club last month. Scans later revealed he had a spinal cyst.
His last-minute announcement led to a flood of tributes from fans, colleagues and pundits, with former British No 1 and Mail columnist John Lloyd describing him as ‘the greatest athlete in British sport, ever’. Lloyd said: ‘It’s devastating news because it’s not the way he would have wanted to go out. He’d have loved to have given the British fans another look at him. For him to have played on Centre another time would have been special. Maybe he’ll do it in the doubles, but it’s very sad news for such a great, great player.’
‘When you think of the era that he was in, with [Rafael] Nadal, [Novak] Djokovic, [Roger] Federer, for him to have won three Slams, Olympic gold, Davis Cup... I remember just the courage, the fire, the will to win he’s had. You can’t teach that. We’re going to miss him. He’s the greatest athlete… in British sport, ever.’
Ex British No 1 Tim Henman said of Murray: ‘He’s won three grand slams, two Olympic golds, he goes way beyond tennis.’
The All England Lawn Tennis Club said on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Andy – we’re sorry to hear you won’t be playing singles this year. But we are so looking forward to seeing you compete in the doubles and celebrating all the memories you have given us.’
Fans – many of whom had camped overnight or queued for hours to see Murray – wished him well.
The men’s doubles are set to start on Wednesday, but it is likely the Murrays will not play until Thursday or Friday.
Murray made his Wimbledon debut in 2005. His first win came in 2013 and he lifted the trophy a second time in 2016. If his health allows, Murray is due to make a final appearance at the Olympics in Paris later this month.
He appeared to be in agony as he trained with Jamie shortly after his announcement.
He issued a heartbreaking apology to fans, family and friends and blamed ‘horrible’ timing for his withdrawal, saying he was only going to play if he felt he could be competitive.
Ewan Hughes, 26, from Coventry, had tickets to see Murray on Centre Court. Asked if he had a message for Murray, he said: ‘You’ve had a wonderful career, just enjoy your retirement, mate.’
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