Andy Murray withdraws from Olympic singles, will play doubles in final career event. © Twitter (@usopen)
Andy Murray has announced his retirement from the singles tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but he will still participate in the doubles competition. This will cap an incredible career in tennis.
The three-time Grand Slam champion, who will retire after his fifth Olympic Games, confirmed that his final singles match was against Jordan Thompson in the second round at Queen’s in June. He was forced to retire due to a back injury. This injury also prevented him from participating in the singles at Wimbledon, although he competed in a final doubles match in which he won two of his three major titles.
Murray will team up with Dan Evans in Paris, facing Japan’s Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori in the first round on Sunday.
The Olympics has been extraordinary for me, and there have been some fantastic memories on the court – particularly in London, Andy Murray said at Thursday’s draw. I’m happy I get to do this one more time. It’s unfortunate not playing in singles I trained to get ready to play both, but I’m getting a bit older now, so it gets harder to recover from injuries. I ran out of time.
The draw has also set up a potential matchup between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic if they win their first-round matches.
Murray, a two-time singles gold medallist (2012, 2016) and mixed doubles silver medallist (2012 with Laura Robson), has had a remarkable career. He won the 2012 US Open and two Wimbledon titles (2013, 2016), ending his singles career with 46 ATP Tour titles, including 14 Masters 1,000 events.
Murray stated that Paris is the right time to retire, having struggled with various injuries over the past few years. He had back surgery following his injury at Queen’s and had previously suffered an ankle injury in March.
I and Dan committed to each other; that is what we will prioritize, Murray said on Wednesday. That gives the team and us the best opportunity to get a medal. My back is still not perfect. I didn’t feel great in the build-up to Wimbledon and during it. I feel better here.
The Olympic tennis tournament will be held at the French Open venue, Roland Garros, from 27 July to 4 August.