Andy Murray: Best wishes for 2019 – leader comment

The end of a sporting career is a difficult time for anyone, but particularly those who have achieved greatness on the world stage.

At 31, Andy Murray may well have several years left at the top of international tennis, but he was clearly struggling to contain his emotions yesterday as he spoke about not knowing “how much longer it’s going to last” following a “really hard 18 months”.

And he didn’t mince his words about how bad 2018 had been in a light-hearted New Year Instagram post featuring the teetotal star apparently drowning his sorrows. Currently ranked 240th in the world, after a hip injury followed by surgery meant he was only able to play six tournaments in 2018, the three-time Grand Slam winner yesterday beat Australian James Duckworth, 234th in the world, at the Brisbane International tournament and now goes on to face a tougher test in the shape of world number 16, Daniil Medvedev.

But, whatever that match’s outcome and whatever happens in the rest of his career, Murray is already a Scottish sporting legend, an inspirational figure to many.