- Friday, July 05, 2024
Murray is expected to play doubles with his brother Jamie in his final appearance at the All England Club before retirement.
By: EasternEye
Andy Murray withdrew from the singles at Wimbledon on Tuesday after not recovering from a back operation.
The two-time champion is expected to play doubles with his brother Jamie in his final appearance at the All England Club before retirement.
Here is a look at the five key moments in the Wimbledon career of the former world number one, spanning over two decades.
2005 — George, the first
Ranked 312 in the world, a young Murray made his Wimbledon debut against Switzerland’s George Bastl, who had ended the All England Club career of seven-time champion Pete Sampras three years earlier.
At 18, Murray showed little nerves as he beat his 146th-ranked opponent 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 on Court Two.
“I wasn’t really expecting to win — obviously he’s much better than me,” said Murray.
Bastl was impressed by Murray’s performance.
“You are right to get excited about Murray,” he said.
Murray then defeated world number 13 Radek Stepanek before losing in the third round to 2002 runner-up David Nalbandian after being two sets up.
2012 — Tearful defeat to Federer
Murray was the first British man to reach the Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin in 1938 but faced six-time champion Roger Federer.
Despite winning the first set, Murray lost 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to the Swiss player.
It was his fourth defeat in four Grand Slam finals, having also lost to Federer in the 2008 US Open and 2010 Australian Open finals and to Novak Djokovic in the 2011 Australian Open final.
“I’m getting closer,” said Murray. “I’d say that’s the best I’ve played in a Grand Slam final.”
2013 — First Wimbledon title
Murray made history as the first British man since Fred Perry 77 years earlier to win the Wimbledon singles title.
He defeated Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, sealing victory on a fourth match point at the end of a tense 12-minute game.
Murray earned £1.6 million for his victory, compared to Perry’s £10 reward for his 1936 win.
“Roger is probably the greatest player ever, Novak is one of the mentally strongest ever. I never had experience on my side. To beat him was so tough, it was such a tough match,” said Murray.
2016 — Second Wimbledon crown
Murray defeated Canada’s Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2), winning his third Grand Slam title and his first since the 2012 US Open.
It was his 11th Slam final but the first one without Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic.
Murray faced only two break points in the final and saved them both.
“This is the most important tournament for me every year,” said Murray.
“I’ve had some great moments here, but also some tough losses. The win feels extra special because of the tough losses.”
2024 — End of the road
Murray, now ranked 113, had hoped to play singles at Wimbledon one last time before retiring at the Paris Olympics.
He did not recover fully from an operation to remove a spinal cyst, which had caused him to lose feeling in his right leg.
His singles career at the All England Club included two titles, a win-loss record of 61-13, and nearly £7.8 million in prize money.
“As you can imagine, Andy 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,” said his management team.
(AFP)
