Andy Murray retires after history-making career

Andy Murray has retired from professional tennis following his appearance in the Paris Olympic Games, where he partnered Daniel Evans to the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles event.

The 37-year-old will be remembered for a career full of historic achievements, which he accomplished against some of the best players in the history of tennis.

“I’m happy about it [ending his career at the Olympics]. Look, a few months ago I didn’t know, I wasn’t happy about potentially stopping, I was quite unsure about it,” Murray said on the eve of the Olympics. “But now that the time is here, now I’ve made that decision definitively, I feel good about it.”

In November 2016 Murray became the first British player to reach World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings aged 29, making him the second-oldest player to debut at No. 1 behind only John Newcombe, who was 30 when he accomplished the feat in 1974.

Murray finished the year on a 24-match winning streak, a stretch during which he won five consecutive titles, including two ATP Masters 1000 trophies and victory at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals, where he defeated No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the title match to clinch ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. The Scot held top spot for a total of 41 weeks in his career, placing him 14th among the 29 players who have reached World No. 1.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Andy has been an inspiring and important force in our sport for so many years. He has embodied the values of hard work, sportsmanship, and never giving up – with his unwavering love for the game endearing him to millions of fans. His remarkable achievements on the court over the past two decades speak for themselves. Equally, it’s his contributions off the court, building up the next generation of athletes and championing important causes, that will define his legacy. Congratulations to Andy on an extraordinary career. Our sport has been incredibly fortunate to watch you play, and we look forward with great excitement for what’s next in your story.”

Murray became the first British Grand Slam singles champion since Virginia Wade in 1977 at the 2012 US Open, where he battled past Djokovic in a thrilling five-set final. The following year, he became the first British male Wimbledon champion since Fred Perry in 1936, ending the nation’s 77-year wait for a home winner at the grass-court major.

The Scot became the first player to win two Olympic singles gold medals (2012 and 2016), defeating Roger Federer in the London final and Juan Martin del Potro in the Rio de Janeiro championship match. He also partnered Laura Robson to win the mixed doubles silver medal in 2012.

Murray shone at ATP Masters 1000 events, capturing 14 titles at the elite level, fifth most in the history of the series (since 1990) behind only Djokovic (40), Rafael Nadal (36), Federer (28) and Andre Agassi (17). He triumphed at seven of the nine Masters 1000s events.

The father of four was also a rival to Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. Murray tallied 29 Lexus ATP Head2Head victories against the trio, with 11 against both Djokovic and Federer, and seven against Nadal.

Murray earned 739 tour-level wins overall, the most victories among British men and the 14th-most wins on record according to Infosys ATP Stats. Of those triumphs, 105 came against Top 10 opponents. The Scot earned 46 tour-level titles, including three major crowns (2012 US Open, 2013 Wimbledon, 2016 Wimbledon), and led Great Britain to Davis Cup glory in 2015.

The 71-time tour-level finalist qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals nine times (2008-16) and emerged victorious in his final appearance in 2016. That year he went a perfect 5-0, defeating Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka to win his group, Milos Raonic in the semi-finals and Djokovic for the title.

Murray served the sport as a member of the ATP Player Advisory Council from 2016-18 and 2020-22. He has also consistently supported a variety of causes, serving as a global ambassador for organisations including UNICEF, United for Wildlife, Malaria No More and the World Wildlife Fund. Murray is one of just four players to receive the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award twice, alongside Andre Agassi, Federer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

The winner of four ATP Awards (ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF (2016), Comeback Player of the Year (2019) and the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award (2014 and 2022), Murray was also a vocal advocate for women, especially the players of the Hologic WTA Tour. He hired former WTA No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as his coach.

On 16 May 2019, then-Prince Charles knighted Murray at Buckingham Palace. On 17 October 2013, Prince William awarded Murray with the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) medal.

Murray played his final singles match at the cinch Championships, held in June at The Queen’s Club, London. There, the Scot also played his 1,000th tour-level singles match.

After the tournament, he underwent minor back surgery with the hopes of making a farewell singles appearance at Wimbledon, but settled for a memorable Centre Court goodbye in men’s doubles alongside brother Jamie Murray in front of an adoring British crowd. He then played his final tournament in men’s doubles at the Olympics with Daniel Evans.

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