We’ve known for months that Andy Murray was close to hitting his final tennis ball in a fit of rage.
There are just a few days left until this memorable moment.
The 2024 Paris tournament will be Murray’s last tennis tournament and for many tennis fans, his retirement will be the most heartbreaking event of all.
Indeed, only a few weeks ago, retirement seemed like an unwelcome trauma for Murray himself, but he now insists he is comfortable with the idea.
During a professional career that spanned almost two decades, Murray reached the pinnacle of fame, winning three Grand Slam titles, including two at Wimbledon, reaching the world number one ranking during the most powerful era in the history of men’s tennis and winning two Olympic gold medals.
However, the Scotsman also experienced some of the worst moments in the latter stages of his career, plagued by serious injuries.
Andy Murray will play his final official tennis match at Paris 2024
Since having his regular hip replaced with a metal one in early 2019, Murray has been working desperately to squeeze every last ounce out of a career that he clearly doesn’t want to end.
But within days his career will be over.
Murray will play his last official tennis match at the 2024 Paris tournament.
Injury will likely make it difficult for Murray to claim a third gold medal in singles, but he will be teaming up with Dan Evans in doubles to put together one final great performance.
The phrase “end of an era” is well overused in sports but in Murray’s case it certainly rings true.
In the next few days the curtain will close forever on the career of one of Scotland’s greatest sporting figures.
From a tennis perspective, Murray is worth watching.
It’s amazing that a kid from Dunblane would become a world-class tennis player, let alone one of the greatest of all time.
And his professional career statistics are astounding.
Murray has three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and a Davis Cup title, and spent more than four years ranked in the world’s top three, despite his career overlapping with three of the greatest players of all time: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Murray won his first gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
He has won 14 Masters 1000 titles (the highest level tournament outside of the Grand Slams) which is more than Pete Sampras, Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro and Nick Kyrgios combined.
No player in the Open Era has come from two sets down to win more Grand Slam matches than Murray.
And he is the only player on the planet with seven or more victories over each of the Big Three: Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
Murray’s status as a tennis player is therefore beyond doubt.
But perhaps more remarkable than anything he accomplished on the tennis court was his sense of morality.
Sadly, there is often a severe lack of morality in elite sport.
Murray was the exception.
In a world where male athletes are often unaware of their privilege, Murray has been a consistent and vocal advocate for female athletes.
Murray was the only person in men’s tennis who was such an unwavering supporter of women’s players, hiring a female coach in Amelie Mauresmo, regularly expressing admiration for particular female players and making sure to correct journalists who erased their achievements.
Similarly, elite sport is often a bubble where athletes say nice things about standing up for human rights – that is, until they are offered big money to play in certain places.
But Murray, speaking not just of words but of actions, never played a single exhibition match in Saudi Arabia, a stance neither Nadal nor Djokovic intend to take.
Murray’s press and public admiration is clear, and as it became clear that his career was drawing to a close, congratulations were pouring in for the man who made his mark on the record books in recent weeks.
But what was far more striking than how his retirement announcement was received from the outside was how his teammates reacted to it.
The flood of tributes to Murray from players both past and present says more about the Scotsman than any number of words written in the newspapers.
For better or worse, athletes sometimes act out in the media. Their public personas can be very different from their private ones.
It is therefore a testament to Murray’s character that his colleagues clearly respect him.
The locker room is where athletes are most vulnerable, and Murray has been a constant presence there for nearly two decades, so his true character has likely been subject to scrutiny.
And he passed the test with flying colors. In a sport that requires almost total self-interest, Murray amassed countless friends and admirers.
That says it all.
Needless to say, Scotland is unlikely to produce a player of Andy Murray’s calibre for generations to come, and probably never will.
This is a reflection of Murray’s greatness, not a disrespect for his successor.
There’s no perfect way for an athlete to retire, especially one like Murray, who was extremely reluctant to give up on life as a professional athlete.
But leaving in the shadow of the Olympic five rings couldn’t be more perfect for Murray.
Tennis purists would consider his two Wimbledon titles his greatest achievement, but in many ways the Olympics epitomise Murray.
The Olympics have played a monumental role in Murray’s career, from his fondness for the team element to his first gold medal in 2012 that led to him becoming a Grand Slam champion to his last great tournament victory, his second gold medal in 2016.
And for someone who is clearly finding retirement difficult to accept, it comes as no surprise that he would withdraw from Paris 2024 content.
