So long, Andy Murray!

In life and in tennis, it’s important to grow and be open to new things. The recent arrival of a new generation of remarkable players has us turning the page on the tennis stars we’ve loved for nearly 20 years.

Andy Murray, a card-carrying member of the Big Four, officially announced he’d be calling time on his international career after the Paris Olympics. He’d previously tried retiring in 2019, but his love of the game and competition beckoned him back to the courts, though with sometimes only moderate success.

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Roger Federer, who turns 42 next month, was the first to depart. At 38, Rafael Nadal still battles it out now and then, but we all know he’s just about given up on getting back to where he was. As for Novak Djokovic, he has no interest in stepping aside. At 37, he’s struggling with an aging body and rehabbing injuries but still has his eyes on his 25th Slam. And coming close in a final isn’t good enough.

Murray, who’s only a week older than Djokovic, doesn’t feel he can compete at the level he once did. Earning 46 ATP titles, three Slams and two Olympic gold medals in singles and a silver in mixed doubles, he put his all into tennis and even ascended to the No.1 ranking in 2016—a rare feat in his era. He lifted an ATP Finals winner’s trophy and is the only player to defend his Olympic title on different surfaces (2012 and 2016).

A Scot through and through

Andy was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 15, 1987. He grew up in Dunblane and was only 8 years old when he was forced to take cover in an office during the 1996 massacre that claimed the lives of 16 children and a teacher at his school. In his 2008 autobiography, he wrote that he “only retained patch impressions of that day” and shared his struggle to cope in the aftermath of the tragedy.

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Sir Andy Murray, who was awarded his knighthood in 2016, restored UK tennis to its former glory. He raised two championship trophies at Wimbledon (2013 and 2016) and another at the US Open (2012) and came close to adding more to his glittering record. He competed in no less than five Australian Open finals (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016) and, against all odds, in the final at Roland-Garros in 2016. In 2015, he led Great Britain to its first Davis Cup triumph since 1936.

A three-time Canadian champion

At the Masters 1000 tournaments, he hoisted 14 winner’s trophies including the Canadian crown (2009, 2010, 2015) and fought in two other semifinals.

In big matches, the ultra-quick right-hander and his unrivalled counterattack had no equal. He racked up 12 wins over the World No.1 (Novak Djokovic: 5 times; Roger Federer: 4 times; Rafael Nadal: 3 times) and left an indelible mark on tennis with his deep understanding of the game and supreme tactical acumen.

Unfortunately, his hips gradually gave up on him. In 2017, the pain had become so unbearable that he chose to undergo multiple surgical procedures, including hip resurfacing and metal implants. His courage persuaded him to return to tennis, and while he still blew many opponents out of the water, he never truly regained his form.

Off the court, Andy Murray speaks his mind. He supports a myriad of causes and has always been a staunch defender of women’s rights and women’s tennis, no doubt finding inspiration in his mother Judy.

When he chose Amélie Mauresmo as his coach, he took the tennis world by complete surprise since there were so few women coaches in the upper echelons of the ATP (and that’s still true today).

“I hold a special place in my heart for you because you always speak out so much for women and everything that women deserve,” said Serena Williams in an emotional video tribute.

Tennis will miss Andy Murray and Andy Murray will undoubtedly miss tennis, but his four young children will likely keep him very, very busy in retirement.