Andy Murray has been an icon in the world of professional tennis for over a decade, but the sporting star is speaking more openly about retiring from the sport.
Aged 36, the player has been embattled with injuries since an initial hip surgery back in 2017 that threatened to pull him from the game altogether. He’s had two hip surgeries now, which have majorly prolonged his career, but six years on, it’s becoming more difficult.
It’s a real loss for the sport of tennis, and British people as a whole, with the Scot being so beloved in the United Kingdom that he was awarded a knighthood back in 2019. He has won three Grand Slam titles throughout his career – the US Open in 2012, Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, and consistently battled tennis greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
He’s also won two Olympic gold medals for singles tennis and was ranked the top seed for 41 weeks across his career. He’s been playing professionally since 2005.
Here, we take a look back at what Murray has said about his retirement, which seems imminent.
2024
Murray admitted that the Australian Open for 2024 could be his last after losing to Argentinian player Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round. He lost in straight sets in a game that lasted two hours and 23 minutes.
Murray’s hip surgeries have prevented him from reaching a Grand Slam fourth round since 2017, and it’s not something that has gone unnoticed by the player.
“Yeah, it’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here. And yeah, I think probably because of how the match went and everything, I don’t know,” Murray said.
“Whilst you’re playing the match, you’re obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything. When you’re one point away from the end, you’re like, I can’t believe this is over so quickly, and like this,” he said.
2023
2023 was a stronger year for Murray, who played the Australian Open and reached the third round after victories against Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
His match against Kokkinakis will go down in history, being the longest in Murray’s career and the second longest in Australian Open tournament history. It lasted five hours and 45 minutes.
While he played in the European clay court season, he skipped the French Open to focus on the grass season, where he won the 2023 Surbiton Trophy.
At Wimbledon he lost in the second round to Stefanos Tsitsipas and at the same stage in the US Open to Grigor Dimitrov.
2021
At Wimbledon in 2021, Murray received a wildcard. He made it to the third round, but lost to Denis Shapovalov.
2019
Rumours of Murray retiring from the sport first began in the early stages of 2019. At a press conference for the Australian Open, Murray was visibly emotional, saying that he may retire from tennis due to his physical struggles, particularly his hip.
He said he was in pain on a ‘daily basis’ and struggled with tasks such as putting on socks and shoes.
“Been struggling for a long time, I’ve been in a lot of pain for probably about 20 months.
“I’ve pretty much done everything I could get my hip feeling better. I’m in a better place than I was six months ago but I’m still in a lot of pain. It’s been tough.
“I think there is a chance this is my last tournament. There’s a chance for sure. I’m not sure I’m able to play through the pain for another four or five months.”
He was urged to undergo a second hip surgery, called Birmingham hip resurfacing, which is a bone-saving alternative to a traditional hip replacement, which he did.
In May 2019, he received his knighthood from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.
2017
In 2017, hip pain caused Murray to bow out of an exhibition match on the eve of Wimbledon.
It was revealed that the injury had already been ongoing for a number of years. “It is something I have been dealing with since I was 22 or 23 years old, off and on,” he said at the time.
He was forced to skip other masters and the US Open, and ended the year having hip surgery in Melbourne.