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Andy Murray became emotional as he spoke on court on Thursday following his Wimbledon defeat.
CNN
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It was an emotional night for three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray on Thursday as the 37-year-old began his Wimbledon farewell tournament with a doubles defeat.
Murray will retire from the sport this season and will play his last match at Wimbledon, a venue where he experienced some of his most memorable highlights.
After losing to his brother Jamie in doubles on Thursday, Murray was moved to tears after a short ceremony on Centre Court, during which a montage of his career was shown on big screens.
“It’s tough because I’d like to keep playing but I can’t. Physically it’s just too tough right now,” Murray said in his on-court interview after watching the video.
“I want to keep playing forever, I love the sport. It’s given me so much, taught me a lot of lessons over the years that I can use for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop, so it’s hard.”
Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic, Iga Świątek, Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe were just some of the famous faces in attendance at the brief ceremony, who joined thousands of fans in giving Murray a standing ovation.
Murray’s family, including his two young daughters, also watched from the stands.
“Mom and Dad were a great support when we were little and enabled us to pursue our dreams […] “Thank you, Mom and Dad,” a tearful Murray said, before speaking about his wife Kim.
“She is a great support for me, for my whole family, she is the best mother. Unfortunately, in a few months she will have to see me every day […] I look forward to the rest of our lives.”
Murray is likely to be back on Centre Court on Saturday after signing up to play mixed doubles with compatriot Emma Raducanu.
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Murray watches as a video montage of his career highlights plays on Wimbledon’s big screens.
Over the years, the Wimbledon crowd has fallen in love with Murray.
He made his tournament debut in 2005 as a teenager and eventually developed into one of the best players in the world, in an era dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic.
Murray reached his first Wimbledon singles final in 2012, but lost to Federer. The defeat moved the British star to tears and changed public opinion of him somewhat.
A month later, Murray was back on the same court and won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
The victory capped a successful year for Murray, which saw him win the US Open – his first Grand Slam title.
In 2013 he returned to Wimbledon, ending Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s champion in an incredible moment now etched in the nation’s history.
In 2016, Murray won his second Wimbledon title – a victory he himself described as his favourite.
However, injuries have played a major role in recent seasons and Murray has struggled to be competitive.
He had hoped to play singles in his final Wimbledon this year but was unable to recover from back surgery last month.
Instead he opted to play doubles – a shorter format – with his brother Jamie, but the pair were defeated in straight sets – 7-6(8-6) 6-4 – by John Peers and Rinky Hijikata on Thursday.