'Right time' for me to retire – Murray
Andy Murray says it is the “right time” for him to retire from tennis after the Paris Olympics – and he is “happy” with the decision.
Andy Murray says it is the “right time” for him to retire from tennis after the Paris Olympics – and he is “happy” with the decision.
Tennis’s history with the Summer Olympics stretches back to its inclusion at the inaugural Olympic Games in 1896. Despite being dropped in 1924 over regulatory disputes, its return in 1988 as a full medal sport has marked the significance of the Olympics within the eyes of tennis professionals, with Olympic gold in tennis considered a coveted accolade.
The Paris 2024 Olympics promises a thrilling week of tennis, featuring the world’s top players as they compete for this priceless reward.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the tournament:
What are the dates for tennis at the Olympics?
Tennis at the Paris 2024 Olympics is set to start with the opening-round matches on 27 July, the day after the Opening Ceremony, and run until 4 August, when the final medal matches take place, including the men’s singles gold medal match.
What is the schedule for tennis at the Olympics?
After the Opening Ceremony for the Paris Olympics on Friday 26 July, play will begin on Saturday 27 July with men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles first-round matches. Play will begin each day at 12 p.m.
The first medal matches — for mixed doubles gold, silver and bronze, men’s doubles bronze and women’s singles bronze — will be played on Friday 2 August. The men’s singles bronze medal match and men’s doubles final will be played on Saturday 3 August and the men’s singles gold medal match will be played on Sunday 4 August.
What is the format of Olympics tennis in Paris? What are the sizes of the Olympics tennis draws?
The Paris Olympics features draws for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, with players able to enter multiple draws. The format is single elimination, with the singles draws consisting of 64 players, doubles draws consisting of a draw size of 32 and mixed doubles containing 16 pairs. Players that reach the semi-final of their draws will be in contention to win a medal and players that lose in the semi-finals will play the bronze medal match.
Which tennis players will feature in the Olympics?
The Olympics are set to feature a whole host of tennis’ elite. Italy’s Jannik Sinner, No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, and Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz, both make debut Olympic appearances. Germany’s current Olympic champion, Alexander Zverev will seek to claim his second gold medal, while Serbia’s Novak Djokovic searches for his first – an elusive accomplishment among his tennis accolades. There will be focus will be on two-time Olympic champion, Britain’s Andy Murray, who recently announced his retirement after the Paris Olympics.
When will the Olympics tennis draws take place?
The Olympic tennis draws will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday 25 July.
Which countries will participate in Olympics tennis?
Players representing 40 countries will compete in tennis at the Paris Olympics. Each country is able to nominate a maximum of four singles players per gender as well as two doubles teams per event, with a maximum of six players per gender for each nation. As well as strong sides representing the USA, Italy and Spain, players from Egypt, Montenegro and Colombia will compete in the Olympics. Lebanon will make its debut appearance in tennis at the Olympics with Benjamin Hassan in the men’s singles.
How do players qualify for the Olympics?
Qualification is based largely on ranking, with higher-ranked players gaining priority to represent their nation at the Olympics. The top 56 singles players (no more than four per country) gain automatic entry if they wish to participate with the remaining eight spots being given to winners or finalists of continental competitions in the Americas, Asia and Africa, as well as a universality place and places being reserved for Olympic or Grand Slam champions that failed to qualify via other criteria.
Where is tennis being played at the Olympics?
The matches will happen at the Stade Roland Garros, Paris, typically the location of the French Open Grand Slam. The courts will be the trademark red clay courts of Roland Garros, a shift from the hard courts used at the last Olympics in Tokyo.
Who won the last edition of the Olympics in 2021?
Alexander Zverev won the Tokyo Olympics gold medal with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Karen Khachanov in the championship match. Nikola Mektic and Wesley Koolhof lifted the doubles trophy in Tokyo with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 triumph against Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev earned mixed doubles glory with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 13-11 triumph against Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev.
Tennis Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff is selected as the female flagbearer for Team USA at Friday’s Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris.
Starring David Tennant as Jimmy Murphy and Dougray Scott as Matt Busby
Mackenzie McDonald continues to round into form after a shoulder injury kept him out of ATP Tour action for several months earlier this season. Fresh off a quarter-final run in Newport — his best result of 2024 — the American scored an upset win against Brandon Nakashima on Tuesday at the Atlanta Open.
McDonald knocked out the seventh seed 6-2, 6-4, improving to 4-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The 29-year-old converted on all three of his break chances and saved all three break points against him, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
[ATP APP]The win against the No. 55 in the PIF ATP Rankings is McDonald’s best victory by that measure since he beat World No. 40 Max Purcell last year in Tokyo. The former UCLA star earned a personal-best 33 wins in 2023; he is now 4-9 this year.
Yoshihito Nishioka awaits McDonald in the second round after his 7-6(4), 6-3 win against American Zachary Svajda on Monday.
Australian lucky loser Adam Walton also scored on upset on Tuesday, beating sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4. Like McDonald, Walton saved all three break points against him in his Atlanta opener.
Unbelievable first set for Mayot ✅ 7-6(9)@ATLOpenTennis | #AtlantaOpen pic.twitter.com/ktGOVY54oX
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 23, 2024
In the most dramatic match of the day, French lucky loser Harold Mayot edged Borna Coric 7-6(9), 6-3. The Atlanta debutant picked up his second Top 100 in by beating the former World No. 12.
Mayot saved two set points in the marathon first-set tie-break, after fighting off six break points in the opening set. Riding that momentum, 22-year-old broke twice in set two to seal the victory. He will next meet fourth-seeded Aussie Jordan Thompson.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Andrey Rublev broke a four-match losing streak with a hard-fought opening win Tuesday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. The top seed beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-4, 7-5 for his first victory since he reached the third round at Roland Garros.
At the tournament where he won his first ATP Tour title in 2017, Rublev clinched the result with his fourth break of serve, hitting a rare drop shot winner on match point. He saved two of four break points against him in the one-hour, 46-minute match, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
“I think it was a great match. I think it was a lot of good points. Ugo played really well,” Rublev said after the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. “I think at the end of the match he started to feel confidence, he started to hit even harder because he had nothing to lose. During the match he raised his level.
“I think it was a good performance from me, as well. I’m happy that I’m here, I’m happy that I won the match, and we’ll see what’s going to happen next.”
Successful match for Rublev 💥
No. 1 seed @AndreyRublev97 advances defeating Ugo Carabelli, breaking his losing streak 6-4 7-5@CroatiaOpenUmag | #CroatiaOpenUmag pic.twitter.com/F4p7F4BrGZ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 23, 2024
The No. 9 in the PIF ATP Rankings will next meet Fabian Marozsan, who opened his week with a 6-2, 7-6(7) win against Thiago Monteiro.
Italians Luciano Darderi and Fabio Fognini rounded out the Tuesday winners in Umag. The fifth-seeded Darderi beat Duje Ajdukovic 6-1, 6-4, converting all four of his break chances, while Fognini defeated #NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche 6-4, 6-3. The 37-year-old Fognini improved to 8-0 in opening-round matches this season.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Nuno Borges earned his debut ATP tour title with victory over Rafael Nadal in the final of the Nordea Open.
The 27-year-old Portuguese player spoke to ATPTour.com about the path to his maiden title, his pre-match routines, and his passions off the court.
[ATP APP]What does it mean to win your first ATP Tour title? Not only did you win the title, but you beat an all-time great in Rafa. How special is that for you?
To be honest, I don’t think I’ve processed it yet. It feels amazing, it’s like I was saying, it’s when you least expect it sometimes – tennis is crazy. I came here this week without winning a match for a few weeks, coming from the grass where it was a tricky week, and all of a sudden, I come out playing great and winning the whole thing, and not just winning the title, but beating Rafa in the final on clay, a place where he has won before. Just beating the King of the Clay means a lot to me, it feels surreal to me, and it already feels like it wasn’t yesterday, it feels so long ago and I’m still in disbelief.
This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
Yeah, for sure a milestone. It was something that I wanted to do, I was already aiming for my first semis and once I did that then my first final and then winning the title for sure. It was something that I dreamed about for a long time, and I didn’t think that it would happen this week but again it’s when you least expect it and taking one match at a time can really do these things for you. I celebrated a little bit with the other players last night, with the staff, they provided us with an amazing dinner, and [we went on] a night out just to enjoy it. I was able to have my girlfriend out in town, she flew in just for that so that was awesome too. I wish I had all my friends and family, but it wasn’t possible this time. I’ll go back home today, and I don’t have really too much time to waste. I’m going straight to Paris after, getting ready for the Olympics, not too much time to celebrate, but tennis is like this.
Could you take a moment to acknowledge some of the key figures in your life and career who have helped you to reach this milestone?
Yeah, I’ve now acknowledged some people starting with Australia this year and even before that just being on the Davis Cup team. I think all of those that make me look back and think about all the coaches that helped me throughout my career and my process even before I was a professional and all the friends that were part of my whole journey. Obviously, my sponsors, my family, everybody on my team that without them it wouldn’t be possible. I know they’re celebrating with me right now.
How would you describe yourself as a player, and how would you describe yourself off the court?
I would describe myself as competitive and emotional, but at the same time kind of timid off court. I think tennis and just competing brings a side of me that you don’t see off the court. I don’t like to bring attention or dress fancy, I keep things simple. I don’t like to go out and party, I like to stay in with friends and chill and just chat about life. It’s something that I honestly don’t have too much time to do so I really appreciate those moments maybe more than some other people. I surprise myself with how I act sometimes on court and how I bring that fierceness and competitiveness that I don’t really show too much off court.
Do you have any specific pre-match routines that help you prepare for big matches like today’s final? Perhaps a specific song to listen to while you warm up that helps you get into the zone?
Specifically, for this week my pre-match routines and post-match routines would be to soak my feet in the seawater at the beach. It’s not something I get to do every week but whenever I would have the time, I would put my feet in the sand and enjoy a little bit of the calmness of the sea and a bit of calm before the storm, and after the match the same thing. It would be before warmup and before any routines to get me going for the match, and I would go after recovering in the gym or with the physio and enjoy my time. Besides that, I don’t really do anything special, just get the body going – no special songs, I don’t even listen to songs before the match. That’s something I could actually do more often I think that would be cool. But I try to keep it simple, even before the big matches I try not to switch my routine and just keep it all the same.
You won the big Challenger 175 event in Phoenix back-to-back and beat Berrettini in the final this year. How did those title runs help prepare you for your first ATP Tour final?
I think playing those big matches against Berrettini for example, and not just those, but other big matches I’ve played, [it’s about] just keeping building on that confidence and knowing I can compete against the best on the big stages as well, and knowing that when I’m playing my best, I’m a dangerous player for them too. I think it is fun, looking to all that, playing those big guys at the highest level on the big stages is really cool. All the success that comes with it is great and it really makes you look back and appreciate all the efforts – the highs and lows. Especially going to an ATP final, it makes you look back a lot.
What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I don’t know if it’s my biggest passion, but I would love to do handcrafts. I guess it’s a little sign maybe, my mum taught me and grew up doing a lot and I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. Right now, I do more puzzles and Legos, which you don’t really need to get your hands dirty. I love baking cakes, I did it a lot over Covid when I had the time to do it and the time to eat them.
Matteo Berrettini arrived in Kitzbühel with a title-winning confidence, and the Italian needed every bit of it to avoid an early exit on Tuesday at the Generali Open.
The Italian, who on Sunday clinched his second ATP Tour crown of the season in Gstaad, overcame Pavel Kotov 7-6(6), 7-6(5) at the Austrian clay ATP 250. Berrettini rallied from a break down in the opening set and also saved a set point in the first-set tie-break before going on to seal a two-hour, 16-minute first-round triumph.
“A really tough match. I expected that,” said Berrettini after his win. “It’s still clay and at altitude, but it’s completely different [to Gstaad]. It took me some games to get used to the conditions, but the most important thing is that the more I was playing, the more I was feeling good. I’m really happy for my win and looking forward to my next match.”
There it issss 💪🔥💥
The close win goes to @MattBerrettini 7-6(6) 7-6(5) over Kotov#GeneraliOpen pic.twitter.com/I7YtbyfCAu
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 23, 2024
The No. 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Berrettini won 86 per cent (49/57) of points behind his first serve against Kotov, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Now 13-1 on clay since the start of the 2023 season, the Italian will take on second seed Alejandro Tabilo in the second round in Kitzbühel. It will be the second Lexus ATP Head2Head clash between the pair, and the first on clay.
“He’s having a great season. He won two titles and went deep in Rome as well,” said Berrettini of Tabilo. “He’s definitely feeling confident, but I am as well, so I think it’s going to be a great match. We played once in Indian Wells, so completely different conditions and different moments in our careers. I expect a battle, but I am ready for it.”
In other action Lukas Neumayer edged Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 4-7, 7-6(3) in a battle of home favourites, while Hugo Gaston outlasted Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4. Facundo Diaz Acosta and Daniel Elahi Galan also advanced and will face off in the second round. Diaz Acosta downed his fellow Argentine Federico Coria 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, while Galan defeated lucky loser Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Andy Murray will bring his illustrious playing career to a close after the Paris Olympics, the 37-year-old confirmed on Tuesday morning via social media.
The former World No. 1 and 46-time tour-level titlist will represent Great Britain at an Olympic Games for the fifth time in Paris, where the tennis event runs from 27 July to 4 August. A two-time Olympic men’s singles gold medallist, Murray will then call time on his 20-year pro career.
Arrived 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— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) July 23, 2024
“Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament @Olympics,” Murray wrote on X. “Competing for Great Britain have been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get to do it one final time!”
Murray is set to compete in singles and in doubles (alongside Daniel Evans) in Paris. He won his first Olympic gold by defeating Roger Federer in the final at London 2012, before defending his crown by edging Juan Martin del Potro in an epic final at Rio de Janeiro 2016.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
BBC Sport goes into the archives to look at the tennis career of Andy Murray, who has announced he will retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics.