A previously elusive Wimbledon triumph in 2013, one of many improbable comebacks or THAT Sue Barker interview… Mail Sport experts pick out their favourite Andy Murray moments after his retirement

0
58


  • Andy Murray announced he would retire from tennis after the Paris Olympics
  • Murray and Dan Evans lost 6-2 6-4 to Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul 
  • It meant Murray played his final ever game of tennis on Thursday evening 

Andy Murray brought the curtain down on his illustrious career on Thursday night as he and partner Dan Evans bowed out of the men’s doubles at the Olympics with a straight sets defeat to US pairing Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

Murray, 37, announced last month that he would retire following the Olympics after an illustrious career that has spanned 19 years.

The Brit, who was knighted in 2017, won two Wimbledon titles, one US Open, while he also took gold at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016 in the singles.

Murray retires as one of the greatest British athletes of all-time and was visibly emotional following his match on Thursday.

In light of his retirement, Mail Sport experts pick out their favourite moments from the 37-year-old’s career. 

Andy Murray brought the curtain down on his illustrious tennis career on Thursday night

Andy Murray brought the curtain down on his illustrious tennis career on Thursday night 

Murray and Dan Evans were beaten 6-2 6-4 by American pairing Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul

Murray and Dan Evans were beaten 6-2 6-4 by American pairing Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul

Murray's exit meant that the clash was his final ever game of tennis before retiring

Murray’s exit meant that the clash was his final ever game of tennis before retiring

Oliver Holt

Being at the Flanders Expo in Ghent in November 2015 to see Murray conjure the brilliant backhand topspin lob, at the end of a point he had no right to be alive in, that won the Davis Cup for Britain for the first time in 79 years.

Ian Herbert

That Wimbledon red-letter day — July 7, 2013 — when he lifted the trophy for the first time, defeating Novak Djokovic in three sets.

I happened to visit the All England Club the following March and found that his victory had been preserved in aspic, with the Centre Court scoreboard stating just what it did at the moment Murray sank to his knees: 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.

Murray's first Wimbledon triumph in 2013 after so much previous heartache was special

Murray’s first Wimbledon triumph in 2013 after so much previous heartache was special

Riath Al-Samarrai

I’d go down a dusty sideroad to a largely irrelevant win in 2018 in the third round of the Citi Open against a journeyman. 

It was when the severity of his hip injury was becoming fully realised and, after taking an unspectacular victory at 3am, he bawled his eyes out in his chair. It crystalised how much the game means to him.

Jonathan McEvoy

A moment of national delight on a sunny July afternoon in 2013 as Murray managed what no British male had since Fred Perry 77 years earlier by winning the Wimbledon singles. 

On beating Djokovic, he threw down his racket, knocked off his cap and pumped his fists. A burden lifted.

David Coverdale 

Who can ever forget Murray breaking down on Centre Court in his post-match interview after losing the 2012 final to Roger Federer? 

‘I’m going to try this, but it’s not going to be easy,’ he told Sue Barker before pausing to wipe away his tears. 

Four weeks later, Murray beat the same opponent on the same court to win gold at London 2012.

Murray's emotional interview with Sue Barker after he lost in the 2012 final was also poignant

Murray’s emotional interview with Sue Barker after he lost in the 2012 final was also poignant

Mike Keegan

Murray was long known as the man who is never beaten but the first time we experienced his never-say-die Scots’ spirit will linger beyond an absorbing career. 

Wimbledon 2008: the then 21-year-old was two sets and a break down against Richard Gasquet before launching a ferocious comeback, the like of which we would enjoy for years to come. 

A backhand down the line during the tie-break took the breath —and the momentum — away.

Nik Simon

That interview with Barker in 2012. Until that moment, Murray was seen as an abrasive character who divided opinion. 

When he welled up on court, we finally saw his human side.



Source link