Andy Murray doesn’t have long left in professional tennis before he officially enters retirement and hangs up his racket.
The British sporting legend, a two-time Wimbledon champion and double Olympic gold medallist, is featuring on the Paris clay at the Games this summer.
The Olympic tennis tournament gets started on July 27 – and many fans want to know if it will indeed be Murray’s final event before he calls time on his career.
Here’s everything the former world No.1 and thee-time major winner has said so far about retiring, as the 37-year-old icon finally approaches the end of a remarkable career which was dramatically saved by a metal hip replacement.
What did Andy Murray say about retirement at Wimbledon 2024?
Andy Murray was left in tears as he spoke about his career on Centre Court after playing what is highly likely to be his last-ever match at Wimbledon in early July.
‘It is hard, because I would love to keep playing but I can’t,’ Murray said about his upcoming retirement. ‘Physically it’s just too tough now. All of the injuries have added up and like I said they haven’t been insignificant.
‘I want to play forever. I love this sport. It’s given me so much, taught me loads of lessons over the years that I can use for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop so it is hard.’
In his post-match press conference, Murray appeared to leave the door open to continuing in doubles, only specifically ruling out singles when asked if he could be tempted to make a U-turn to play Wimbledon one last time next year in 2025.
‘Before what happened in Miami (a nasty ankle injury) I was starting to play good tennis,’ Murray added.
‘At Queens I got through the first round. I can still win matches at this level. Even with the physical issues around the hip, I was still able to compete at the highest level.
‘Not as consistently as I would’ve liked. Certainly not having the results I would’ve wanted.
‘But yeah, I can definitely still win matches here or on the grass once I’m recovered from the back injury. But I don’t want to do that now. I know I could do it, but I have no plans to play singles again.’
What did Andy Murray say about retiring after the Olympic tennis tournament in Paris?
Speaking on June 27, Andy Murray said: ‘I know that there’s more important things in the world than how I finish playing my last tennis match or where I finished playing my last tennis match.
‘But because of what I put into the sport over the last however many years, I would at least like to go out playing a proper match where I’m at least competitive, not what happened at Queen’s (where his back injury forced a mid-match retirement and subsequent surgery ruled him out of Wimbledon singles).
‘So I can’t say for sure that if I wasn’t able to play at Wimbledon, and I didn’t recover in time to play at the Olympics that I wouldn’t consider trying to play another tournament somewhere. But if I’m able to play at Wimbledon and if I’m able to play at the Olympics, that’s most likely going to be it.’
Andy Murray admits to retire from tennis at the Olympic Games in Paris would be ‘fitting’
Speaking to the BBC in June 2024, Andy Murray said: ‘I don’t think [I will play at the 2024 US Open or the Davis Cup].
‘Probably if I was going to finish my career I would rather finish at Wimbledon or an Olympic Games – to me that would probably be more fitting.
‘I’ve had amazing experiences and memories from Wimbledon, but also being part of British Olympics teams.
‘To get a chance to compete at a fifth one is a reason to stay motivated and continue playing.’
Andy Murray ‘looking forward to the end’ of his truly sensational career
Speaking after he lost to Tomas Machac at the Miami Open in March, Andy Murray said: ‘[It is] the last match that I am going play here, which is sad, because I love it here. I’ve spent so much of my tennis career here and I would have liked it to have gone on a little bit longer.
‘This tournament particularly for me is an important one so it was a bit more emotional leaving the court today than it might be at some of the other events. I am looking forward to the end now, give my best the next few months and get to be at home with my family.
‘Miami has been a special place for me during my career. It’s been my tennis home really. I’ve done so much of my work and training and preparation here. I love the city.’
Andy Murray ‘doesn’t plan on playing much past this summer’
‘Yeah, I mean, I’m likely not going to play past this summer,’ Andy Murray said in February.
‘I get asked about it after every single match that I play, every single tournament that I play. I’m bored of the question, to be honest.
‘Yeah, I’m not going to talk more about that between now and whenever the time comes for me to stop. But yeah, I don’t plan on playing much past this summer.’
Olympics set to be Andy Murray’s last event in singles tennis?
Speaking about his chances of featuring at the Games in Paris earlier this year, Andy Murray said: ‘I would love the chance to play in another Olympics but also genuinely only if I felt like there was a chance of winning a medal.
‘We have top doubles players and also Jack [Draper], Cam [Norrie] and Evo [Dan Evans] in singles as well. I don’t want to be in a position where I’m getting selected to play there just because it might be the last tournament that I play.
‘The [retirement] decision is my decision to be made, not anyone else’s. I don’t see why there should be a keenness for people to stop doing what it is that they enjoy doing.’
Andy Murray vows to give his ‘best’ in his ‘last few months’ in tennis
After beating Denis Shapovalov at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, Andy Murray said: ‘Look, I obviously still love competing.
‘I still love the game but it’s getting harder and harder the older you get, to compete with the young guys, keep your body fit and fresh.
‘Yeah, it is not easy. I probably don’t have too long left but I will do as best as I can these last few months.’
Andy Murray admits ‘this game’s not for me anymore’ but defends his legacy
Andy Murray mouthed ‘this game’s not for me anymore’ after losing to a player half his age in Qatar this year.
He was also forced to defend his legacy in the sport when a journalist accused the two-time Wimbledon champion of tarnishing his reputation with poor results.
‘Tarnishing my legacy? Do me a favour,’ Murray said. ‘I’m in a terrible moment right now I’ll give you that. Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I’m not most people and my mind works differently.
‘I won’t quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce the performances I know I’m capable of. The only way to find solutions [is] to win matches. It can also be played out in training, working on your game and sensations.
‘At the moment, without a doubt, it is not easy to compete. But what is happening now does not affect my career. No number of defeats will change what I achieved when I was in shape and with two hips. But when you can’t win, you also lose confidence. I’ve never experienced that in my career.’
‘I have an idea when I would like to finish’ – Andy Murray drops first major retirement hint
Speaking after he lost in the first round of the Australian Open in January, Andy Murray said: ‘It’s definitely a possibility that is the last time I play here.
‘I have an idea when I would like to finish playing. But so much of that depends on how you’re playing.
‘The time frame for that narrows when you play and have results like [that]. It’s the nature of the performances that make you question things.’
What will Andy Murray do after retirement from tennis?
Speaking in the summer of 2023, Andy Murray said: ‘I’ve heard stories from ex-players and other athletes who’ve made no plans for retiring, and they finish and all of a sudden, it’s, ‘What am I going to do with myself?’
‘I was chatting to them about things that I might want to get involved in or really don’t want to get involved in, just starting to get a few ideas together. I’m looking for something I’m really passionate about and that I want to work really hard at to achieve a specific goal.
‘One area that ticks that box is coaching, but not necessarily in tennis. I’ll definitely want to keep busy.’
Murray, in a Metro.co.uk exclusive interview in July 2024, was quizzed specifically if he wanted to enter tennis coaching and added: ‘It’s something that I will consider, for sure. I haven’t made any plans yet past this summer. Once I’ve finished my tennis, that’s when I’ll start to think about what comes next.’
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