Andy Murray retirement: Scottish tennis great says Paris will be 'last ever tennis tournament'

Andy Murray will retire after this summer’s Olympics, posting on social media that he has arrived in Paris for his “last ever tennis tournament”.

It had been widely expected the 37-year-old Scot would call time on his career after the Games as he looked to go out at the top.

Murray was recently robbed of a Wimbledon farewell in the singles after he had surgery on a spinal cyst just a week before the tournament began.

The three-time grand slam champion, who is the only man to have won two Olympic tennis singles gold medals, said on Instagram: “Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament @Olympics.

“Competing for [Team GB] have been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get do it one final time!”

Murray will complete in the men’s doubles event at the Paris Olympics alongside Dan Evans.

The Scot’s singles spot for what is set to be the final tournament of his career was announced a few weeks ago, with Murray securing entry as a two-time former gold medallist and three-time grand slam champion.

Murray had recently battled to be able to make it on to Centre Court one more time at Wimbledon and, while he would have much preferred not to be forced into back surgery a week before and struggle through a doubles defeat with brother Jamie, the emotional celebration of his career that followed was the perfect send-off.

That surgery had forced Murray to pull out of the men’s singles at Wimbledon this year following a practice session on Monday.

The 37-year-old Scot showed definite signs of improvement hitting against fellow British player Kyle Edmund before making the decision.

Andy Murray is mulling over whether to play Tomas Machac at Wimbledon. | Getty Images

Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton had said in the build-up to Murray’s decision: “We would love to see him on court. Of course, if he isn’t, we’ve got plenty of other tennis going on, but I know the fans will be absolutely desperate to see him play so we wish him well in getting on court.”

Bolton was keeping close to her chest Wimbledon’s plans for honouring Murray following his retirement.

“We have got a variety of plans sitting waiting to deliver,” she said. “It really is for Andy to make that call and we’ll be ready whenever that happens. There’s been various conversations ongoing for some time now. Andy of course is very focused on his performance, not really on anything else.

Murray has lost twice to Machac this year. | Getty Images

“Once he decides to retire and we all get the chance to celebrate him I think you’ll really see how much he has meant to not just the tennis-loving public but the sports-loving public in the UK. I think there’ll be tears around the house.”

Bolton hinted that the 37-year-old will join Fred Perry in having a statue somewhere in the grounds once his playing career is over, but that may not be outside Centre Court.

“You could argue that’s a bit of an obvious location,” she said. “As we reflect on the shape of these grounds and we think about the potential development over the road, we’ve got time to think about where any kind of physical celebration of Andy’s career might be.

“And, in any event, we’d want to work with Andy on that and he understandably is not ready to have those conversations just yet. We will make sure we get this right because this is for all time.”

Murray and Dan Evans will play together at the Olympics. | Getty Images

Murray and Evans had been left waiting to see whether they would get into the doubles, which represents Murray’s best chance of a medal.

It will be a fifth Games for the 37-year-old, who picked up gold medals in singles in 2012 and 2016 as well as a silver medal in mixed doubles with Laura Robson in London.

Men’s doubles is the only event where a medal has so far eluded him, with Murray and Joe Salisbury desperately disappointed with a quarter-final exit in Tokyo three years ago.

Meanwhile, a statue in the grounds of Wimbledon could be on the cards for Murray after he retires, with Bolton hinting that Sir Andy could join Fred Perry in having a statue somewhere in the grounds at SW19 once his playing career is over. However, she also seemed to suggest that may not be outside Centre Court.

John McEnroe has called for Murray to have a statue. | Getty Images

“You could argue that’s a bit of an obvious location,” she said. “As we reflect on the shape of these grounds and we think about the potential development over the road, we’ve got time to think about where any kind of physical celebration of Andy’s career might be.

“And, in any event, we’d want to work with Andy on that and he understandably is not ready to have those conversations just yet. We will make sure we get this right because this is for all time.”

It comes after American tennis great John McEnroe called for Sir Andy to receive a statue last month, as he was the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years when he defeated Novak Djokovic in 2013.

McEnroe was quoted in the i newspaper as saying: “If I was making that decision, I would say absolutely, yes, because that’s a long drought, 77 years.

“He’s absolutely changed the way people look at British tennis. He’s one of the greatest competitors that I’ve ever seen play tennis.

“It would be well deserved, and it’d be awesome, because two of his three grand slam wins were at Wimbledon plus the Olympics. So that would seem to make a whole lot of sense.”