Andy Murray reflects on emotional farewell, admits he's ready to quit tennis

A tearful but somewhat calmer Andy Murray conceded it felt like the end as Wimbledon paid tribute to its British hero in what will likely be his farewell appearance at the All England Club before he retires.

Murray, who decided not to compete in the singles following recent back surgery, was greeted by an emotional and cheering crowd desperate to remind him of their love as he teamed up with brother Jamie in the men’s doubles on Thursday.

The duo did not have a fairy tale as they were beaten in three sets by Rinky Hijikata and John Peers, but that did not stop them from having a worthy outing.

Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Cam Norrie, Dan Evans and Jack Draper were among those who took to Centre Court after the match as a montage reminded Murray of his most memorable moments before reflecting on the highs and lows of his rollercoaster career.

“It’s not something I asked for,” Murray said. “When I made the decision about the singles, the club spoke to me and said they would like to do something after one of my matches here. I think if I had played singles, they would do it after potentially losing in singles. If singles doesn’t happen, we would like to have it after the first doubles match, regardless of the result.

“I’m grateful they did it. I don’t know, it’s like it’s the end for me. I don’t know if I deserve it or not. But they did a really, really good job.”

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Djokovic all feature in the video capturing Murray’s journey in tennis, with his unmatched willingness to break barriers, rise up and defy challenges being a common theme in their admiration.

Murray’s message has always been the same. He never wants to stop playing tennis; he will only stop when his body tells him it can’t do it anymore. After overcoming countless injuries to shatter the odds, he admitted he felt like the time had come.

“I’m ready to finish the match,” he added. “I don’t want that to be the case. I would like to play, as I said, forever. But today, even though it was a doubles match where physically it’s obviously not as demanding, it’s still very hard for me.”

“My serve speed and everything else is way below what it usually would be. I’m sure it will come back with time, once I get over my injury and everything else.

“This year has been tough with the ankle, then obviously the back surgery, obviously the hip. I’m ready to stop playing because I can’t play at the level I want to anymore.

“It’s something that I think is a little bit out of my control. If I knew my body could do it, I would play. There’s nothing about this sport that I hate and I think I don’t want to do it anymore for that reason. I love traveling. I love competing, training, trying to get better, all those things.”

“I know it’s time now. Yes, I’m ready for it.”

As for legacy, it’s not a subject Murray has often allowed his mind to wander into, so keen has he been to play.

From a competitive standpoint, he has always been a nightmare opponent, with every shot imaginable and an unwavering work ethic on the field. Behind the scenes, he has battled through grueling injuries to extend his career far longer than most people had anticipated at one point, and far longer than most players would have been able to do.

“I find those are pretty difficult questions to answer because I don’t think it’s up to me to say how I want other people to see me,” he admitted. “There are things in my career that I’m really proud of. I certainly didn’t achieve everything in my career. I was far from perfect.

“I think what I did really well throughout my career was that no matter the ups and downs, whether it was winning tournaments, having tough losses, surgery, a setback, I was able to treat the next day like I always came to work with the same dedication, work ethic and passion that I had the day before, no matter the ups and downs that the sport threw at me.

“I didn’t always succeed. On match days I wasn’t perfect, far from it, but I always showed up to work and had a good day. I did my best. That’s what I’m proud of.”

Murray will play at least one final match at Wimbledon as he teams up with Emma Raducanu in mixed doubles this weekend.

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