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PARIS: Andy Murray confirmed on Tuesday that he will retire after the Paris Olympics, closing another chapter in tennis’ golden era.
The 37-year-old two-time Olympic champion plans to compete in singles and doubles in his fifth Olympics.
The three-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one posted on social media: “Arriving in Paris for my last tennis match @Olympics.”
“Representing Great Britain has been the most memorable weeks of my career so far and I’m really proud to be competing one last time.”
In recent years, Murray has been plagued by injuries and his world ranking has dropped to 121st.
The Scotsman, who has competed with a metal hip since 2019, suffered an ankle injury earlier this year and subsequently underwent surgery to remove a cyst on his spine, which kept him out of singles at Wimbledon.
Instead, he competed in the doubles event with his brother Jamie and was defeated in the first round, before tournament directors arranged an emotional tribute for him.
“It’s difficult because I would love to keep playing but I can’t,” Murray admitted at the All England Club.
“Physically, it’s so hard to play right now, with all the injuries combined, and none of them are insignificant.”
In 2013, Murray ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles title by defeating career rival Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
In 2016, he won the title again, bringing his total number of career Grand Slam titles to three, following his record-breaking semifinal victory at the 2012 U.S. Open.
Murray won the 2012 Olympics gold medal by defeating Roger Federer on a thrilling day at the All England Club, just weeks after he lost the Wimbledon final to the Swiss king on the same Centre Court.
Four years later, he defeated Juan Martin del Potro to become the first man or woman to win two Olympic singles gold medals.
Murray also led Britain to win the 2015 Davis Cup, their first title in 79 years.
“Big Three”
He won a total of 46 titles and earned about $65 million in prize money.
Dave Haggerty, president of the International Tennis Federation, said Murray had “always lived the values of tennis throughout his long career, championed equality and helped send the message that our sport belongs to everyone”.
Scottish First Minister John Sweeney hailed Murray as “the greatest athlete we have ever had”.
He posted on X: “Sincerely thank you @andy_murray for a distinguished and inspiring career that has had a profound impact on so many people.”
Murray’s mother Judy commented on one of X’s posts: “Fifth Olympics. Final Championships,” followed by a symbol representing an explosion.
The British star’s success came during an era dominated by Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
The so-called “Big Three” have won 66 Grand Slam titles between them, but time is catching up with the sport’s icons.
Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles before retiring in 2022.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, is 38 years old and played only six tournaments all year due to injuries.
Djokovic, 37, has won 24 Grand Slam titles, but was stripped of the 2024 Australian Open and French Open titles.
Jannik Sinner, 22, of Italy, succeeded him in Melbourne and took over the world number one ranking.
Earlier this month, Carlos Alcaraz, 21, won the French Open and successfully defended his title with a dominant win over Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
If Djokovic loses the US Open in September, it will be the first time since 2002 that at least one of the big three has failed to win a Grand Slam title.
The Paris tennis tournament opens at Roland Garros on July 27 and ends on August 4.
— AFP
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