Andy Murray said goodbye to the tennis world on Thursday, officially retiring from the sport after a heartbreaking loss in the Paris Olympics men's doubles quarterfinals.
After the match, Murray posted an epic message on X, formerly Twitter confirming his retirement.
“Never even liked tennis anyway,” Murray wrote.
Before the Olympics started, Murray confirmed that he would retire from tennis after this tournament.
The 37-year-old British superstar, who pulled out of the singles tournament and only participated in doubles at this year's Olympics, was paired with Dan Evans. The duo made it all the way to the quarterfinals before being knocked out by the American pair of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-4.
“I knew that moment was coming for the last few months,” Murray said. “If it didn’t happen today, that was going to be in a couple days’ time, and I was ready for it. Obviously, I was emotional, because it’s the last time I will play a competitive match. But I am genuinely happy, just now. I’m happy with how it's finished.”
Injuries played a major role in Murray's retirement. He had two hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019, and most recently, had back surgery in June to remove a cyst from his spine which forced him out of the singles tournament at both Wimbledon and the Olympics.
As the match ended, the crowd, Murray's opponents and teammates all gave him a standing ovation as he walked off the court one final time.
Andy Murray's historic career comes to a close
Despite having to compete against the “Big Three” of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic for the majority of his prime, Murray was still able to find success. Murray won three Grand Slam titles, the 2012 US Open and 2013 and 2016 Wimbledons. He was also the runner up for the Australian Open five times and the French Open once. Outside of the Grand Slams, Murray won the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals and won a gold medal in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. In 2016, Murray was the No. 1 ranked player in the world.
Near the end of Murray's career, injuries and age caught up with him and he was not able to find the same success he had in the mid-2010s.
While there was no storybook ending for Murray, it is still quite the accomplishment for a player of his age dealing with the type of injuries he had to make it to the quarterfinals of the Olympics. It was a fitting final match for a player who has found so much success at the Summer Games.
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