Tributes have started pouring in for Scottish great Andy Murray as the brutal reality of his Wimbledon withdrawal sinks in.
The 37-year-old on Tuesday night pulled out of his first-round singles match against Tomas Machac.
Murray had given himself until the 11th hour to be fit following back surgery barely a week earlier, but ultimately felt he couldn’t compete.
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It means tennis fans have almost certainly seen the last of Murray as a singles player at the All England Club, where he won titles in 2013 and 2016.
“Unfortunately, despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year,” his management team said in a statement.
“As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie and looks forward to competing at Wimbledon for the last time.”
Murray had surgery on June 22 to remove a cyst from his spinal cord.
Murray has said he wants to retire after the Paris 2024 Olympics, which start later this month.
News of his Wimbledon career ending made its way around the precinct during day two of the tournament.
British player Jack Draper paid a beautiful tribute to Murray after he beat Elias Ymer.
“To play in front of you guys… I missed it last year. I know you guys probably wanted to see Andy out here, but you’re stuck with me instead,” Draper joked at first.
“I wouldn’t be here without Andy. He’s an incredible guy off the court.. genuine, so funny, one of a kind.
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“What a competitor. What a champion.”
While Murray won three grand slam titles during his career, his stats pale in comparison to those of his peers Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
Nonetheless, Murray was for a long time considered the fourth member of the “Big Three” – the top players of their generation.
After beating Vit Kopriva in straight sets on Tuesday, Djokovic was asked about Murray.
“Sad news for the tournament and tennis world to hear he withdrew from the singles event. Hopefully he can have another shot in singles at next year’s Wimbledon,” Djokovic said.
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“Knowing him, he’s going to try to do that. Just incredible resilience throughout all his career.
“Multiple grand slam winner, legend of the game. A huge inspiration to all of the players.
“Incredible professional. His approach is something to study no doubt. His will to push and see how far he can go even with an artificial hip is something that is inspiring but also serves as a great example to a lot of the younger athletes who start to complain about this and that.
“He’s left a great mark on and off court for tennis. Something tells me he’ll keep going.
“He has every right to say when the finish line is for him. If he wants to keep going, no doubt, people will be very happy about it.
Murray stopped playing during a second-round match at the grass-court tournament at Queen’s Club in London last month because he was having trouble walking. He later explained that the cyst was compressing a nerve in his back and leaving his right leg numb.
Murray owns three major championships: The US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016. His 2013 title made him the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles in 77 years.
He reached No.1 in the ATP rankings and is the only player with two consecutive tennis gold medals in Olympic singles. He won at London in 2012 — when the Summer Games matches were at the All England Club — and at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Murray underwent hip operations in 2018 and 2019. While he thought he would need to retire after the second surgery, in which he received a metal hip implant, Murray eventually returned to action.
He has since been hampered by various issues, including tearing ligaments in his left ankle at the Miami Open in March.
Murray lost in the first round of the French Open in May.
He had been practicing in recent days at the All England Club and undergoing medical tests to see whether he would be able to compete at what was expected to be his farewell to Wimbledon.