Andy Murray ‘Extremely Disappointed’ After Withdrawing from Wimbledon as ‘End’ of His Career Looms

Andy Murray will pull out of singles competition at this week’s Wimbledon tennis tournament and will instead play alongside his brother Jamie for the final time in the doubles tournament. Murray, 37, withdrew from the men’s singles tournament on Tuesday hours before he was due to play in the first round. The decision comes after weeks when Murray openly discussed the difficult decision of whether to play at Wimbledon, which he said would be his final Grand Slam tournament.

The three-time Grand Slam winner has battled health problems in recent years, including having a cyst removed from his spine a week ago, which has put his participation at this week’s Wimbledon in doubt.

“As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed,” Murray’s representatives told The Associated Press about his decision not to play in the singles tournament. His management company said Murray was “looking forward to competing at Wimbledon one last time” alongside his older brother.

Murray, who won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, said he plans to retire after the Paris Olympics, which begin later this month. At the Queen’s Club tournament last month, Murray lost after his right leg began to go numb, which doctors later determined was caused by a cyst on his spine that was compressing a nerve in his back.

Andy Murray hinted at a possible retirement from tennis: ‘I probably don’t have too long left’

Andy Murray.

Adam Pretty/Getty

Despite the diagnosis and last week’s surgery, Murray told reporters over the weekend that he was determined to compete.

“I hope that with each passing day, the probability that I will be able to play will increase. I mean, it’s impossible for me to say that, because I also want to go there and be able to play at a level that I’m happy with,” he said, according to the AP. “I don’t want to be in a situation like at Queen’s. I don’t want to go to the field and [have it] be uncomfortable or unable to at least be competitive.”

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Murray is still set to compete at his fifth Olympics in Paris later this month after being named in the Great Britain tennis team. He is slated to play both singles and doubles if healthy.

Murray first burst onto the tennis scene as a 17-year-old phenom in 2005, winning his first ATP title less than a year after turning pro.

Surprise! Tennis star Andy Murray and wife Kim welcomed their fourth child

Andy Murray.

Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty

By 2008, Murray had risen to the top of the sport and claimed his first Grand Slam title during the US Open, although he lost in straight sets to Roger Federer. In 2012, Murray won his long-coveted Grand Slam title by defeating Novak Djokovic at the same tournament. In the following four years, he won Wimbledon twice, and won consecutive gold medals at the Summer Olympics in 2012 and 2016.

In 2016, Murray was named the number one tennis player of the world, becoming the first British player to do so. And at the end of that year, Queen Elizabeth II.

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But in 2018, back-to-back injuries and hip surgeries halted Murray’s career for nearly two years.

“I was in a lot of pain for probably about 20 months,” Murray said in an emotional press conference at the 2019 Australian Open, according to Australia’s news.com.au. He added: “I can’t even put on shoes or socks without any pain.”

Earlier this year, Murray spoke about facing the end of his career after a match at the Dubai Tennis Championships. “Obviously I still love the competition and I still love the game, but obviously it gets harder and harder as you get older to compete with the young guys and keep your body fit and fresh,” he said, adding, “I probably don’t have long left, but I will do my best these last few months.”

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Source: HIS Education