At a press conference leading up to the start of the Australian Open, Andy Murray announced plans to retire after this July’s Wimbledon. He cited his ongoing struggles recovering from a lingering right hip injury. Murray was visibly emotional as he talked about what it’s been like trying to play through the pain – and how more than anything, he is simply looking to improve his quality of life.
“I can still play to a level, not a level that I’m happy playing at. But it’s not just that. The pain is too much, really. It’s not something I want. I don’t want to continue playing that way. I’ve tried pretty much everything that I could to get it right, and that hasn’t worked.”
“You guys see me running around a tennis court, walking between points, I know it doesn’t look good and it doesn’t look comfortable,” he said. “There are little things, day to day, that are also a struggle. It would be nice to be able to do them without any pain, putting shoes on, socks on, things like that.
Murray acknowledged that while his hope is to make it to Wimbledon, there is a very real chance the Australian Open could be his final tournament.
“There’s a chance for sure, because I’m not sure I’m able to play through the pain for another four or five months. I have an option to have another operation, which is a little more severe than I had before, having my hip resurfaced, which will allow me to have a better quality of life and be out of pain. That’s something I’m seriously considering.
That’s a sad end to an illustrious career. You hate to see anyone go out like this, being forced out due to injury or other health concerns rather than leaving on their own terms. But anyone who even casually follows tennis shouldn’t be surprised at this announcement. Murray hasn’t looked right for quite some time. The situation just had the feeling that we were seeing the beginning of the end for him. You wish it wasn’t this way, but such is life for that of a professional athlete.
Regardless of how it’s happening, Andy Murray will retire as a (should be) sure-fire hall of famer. He will retire (assuming he doesn’t win any more titles, which, sadly, is the likeliest of outcomes) with:
45 career singles titles
3 Grand Slam titles
US Open (2012)
Wimbledon x2 (2013, 2016)
8 Grand Slam Runner-Up Finishes
1 Tour Finals Championship (2016)
2 Olympic Gold Medals (2012, 2016)
1 Olympic Silver Medal – Mixed Doubles (2012 with Laura Robson
1 Davis Cup Title (2015)
Was ranked #1 in the world for 41 straight weeks, from November 7, 2016 to August 20, 2017
The tennis community was quick to voice their support for Murray. Take a look at some of the tweets sent his way.
.@andy_murray is a great champion who I have the utmost admiration for. I’ve enjoyed following his stellar career, he is truly one of the greats of our game & a lovely bloke! Arise Sir Andy. I applaud you & wish you well in all your future endeavours. Rocket
Congrats @andy_murray for all your achievements all these years. It was great to play against you all these years. Good luck with everything! https://t.co/BaOsYZ5KTo
Nobody has done more for British tennis than you and it looks like nobody will for many years to come. You have been an inspiration, friend and role model to me from the get go and I thank you for everything. Hope to see you out there for as long as possible @andy_murray 🎾 pic.twitter.com/xkxUXf1lOb
Andy, just watched your conference. Please don’t stop trying. Keep fighting. I can imagine your pain and sadness. I hope you can overcome this. You deserve to retire on your own terms, whenever that happens. We love you @andy_murray and we want to see you happy and doing well. 🙏
You can watch the full press conference below. The complete video is about 12 minutes long, but if you jump to about 2:10 and watch for 2-3 minutes, that should be the meat of it.
