Five years after he had intended to call it quits at the storied Grand Slam, Andy Murray withdrew from Wimbledon.
The tennis legend, who was paired with Tomas Machac in the opening round, said on Tuesday that he will not be participating in the singles competition at the All England Club due to his inability to recover from spinal cyst surgery.
Despite his withdrawal, Murray, 37, will play in the doubles with his brother Jamie in what is probably his final Wimbledon match. Should he be well enough to compete, Murray intends to retire from tennis after the Paris Olympics.
His team released the following statement: “Unfortunately, Andy has decided not to play the singles this year, after working extremely hard on his rehabilitation since his operation little over a week ago. He is obviously quite unhappy, but he has stated that he will be joining Jamie in the doubles.
Murray has experienced many hip and back problems in recent years. He nearly gave up on his struggles more than five years ago when he sobbed when discussing his intention to conclude his storied career at Wimbledon in 2019.
The Scotsman stated: “I’ve pretty much done everything that I could to try and get my hip feeling better and it hasn’t helped loads” at a news conference held prior to the Australian Open. Though I’m still in a lot of pain, I’m in a better place than I was six months ago. It’s been difficult.
Murray talked about the significance of capping his career at Wimbledon, where his two titles cemented his place in tennis history, last Saturday. The chance to perform here one final time, that’s about it. I can tell that this location has been really kind to me throughout the years,” he remarked.
“According to my theory, that would have occurred at Wimbledon. Of course, I have to get ready for the Olympics. However, I would be thrilled to get another chance to perform here. That’s what I want to get from it.