Andy Murray to Retire from Tennis After 2024 Olympics; Legend Won 3 Major Titles
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVJuly 23, 2024
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Tennis fans will only have one more opportunity to watch Andy Murray compete.
Murray announced Tuesday the 2024 Paris Olympics will be the final event of his impressive career that includes three major championships. He said competing for his country has “been by far the most memorable weeks of my career, and I’m extremely proud to get do it one final time!”
Andy Murray @andy_murrayArrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament @Olympics
Competing for 🇬🇧 have been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get do it one final time! pic.twitter.com/keqnpvSEE1
It is fitting that Murray is competing in one more Olympics before retiring.
After all, Matias Grez of CNN noted he is the only men’s player to win two singles gold medals at the Games. He triumphed with a victory over Roger Federer in the final to capture gold in the 2012 London Olympics and then defended his title by defeating Juan MartÃn del Potro in the final of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
Murray’s Olympic resume also includes a doubles silver medal from London.
Yet he will be remembered for far more than just his excellent play at the Olympics, as he counts two Wimbledon titles, a U.S. Open crown, the 2016 ATP Finals title, 14 Masters 1000 titles and a year-end world No. 1 ranking on his resume.
His accomplishments are all the more notable because he played during a time of elite competition in the men’s game. Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are arguably the three greatest men’s players in the history of the sport, and Murray was able to carve out quite a career despite facing that trio so many times.
Murray will now try to end his career on a high note in Paris.
Connor O’Halloran of ESPN noted the draw for the upcoming tournament will take place Thursday, and the 37-year-old plans on playing in both the men’s singles and doubles competitions. His playing partner in the doubles will be Dan Evans.
O’Halloran reported there is “unlikely” to be an official on-court tribute when Murray is done at the Olympics, although he already received one at this year’s Wimbledon.
While he did not participate in the singles competition in Wimbledon following surgery on a spinal cyst, he did play doubles with his brother Jamie and was greeted with quite the farewell from the Centre Court crowd.
