Forced to withdraw from the singles for his final Wimbledon, Andy Murray wanted to play the legendary tournament one last time, at least in doubles with his brother: the organizers honored him on the Center Court on Thursday, the old warrior roared and the crowd went wild with pleasure.
Of the three matches played daily on the most legendary of tennis courts during the first week of the tournament, no doubles were ever scheduled.
More Sir Andy is well worth it and the stands were packed to the rafters at the start of the evening to see the hero one last time. Or almost since he is also entered in mixed doubles with his compatriot Emma Raducanu.
And Murray did Murray: he fought like a madman, he screamed his joy and his anger.
When the umpire first announced “Andy Murray on serve,” there was a roar from the stands.
Then the match came and Murray’s opponents, Australians Rinky Hijikata and John Peers, were not there to give them any favours. So Peers did not hesitate to light up Andy at the net.
Baby sitter
From the stands a spectator shouted “Not too fast Andy, I’ve got a babysitter”, summing up the crowd’s joy at seeing Murray play, so often injured over the years.
But the end of the road was near. Playing with a metal hip since 2019, Murray announced he would retire after this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
On Centre Court, the points were rolling and the end of the match was fast approaching. A ceremony was set up.
In the player’s box, his wife Kim, two of their four children and his mother Judy watched him. They contained their emotion.
A film was then shown on the big screens of the court retracing his career, including his tears on the Centre Court after his defeat in the final in 2012 against Roger Federer, a year before the first of the two titles he would win at Wimbledon, a few days before the Olympic gold medal he would win there.
Then came a video with testimonies from the greatest players of his time, those with whom he formed the Big 4as well as Serena Williams with whom he played mixed doubles.
“Sometimes it seemed like you were alone against everyone, but you were not alone, because you carried not only your dreams, but also theirs,” Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Serena said over images mixing Murray and the British public.
Guard of honor
“We have been against you, and with you. And we know what you are feeling right now,” they say.
“In the end, there is nothing left to do but shake hands with an opponent you cannot beat,” they conclude, referring to age.
At the end of the film, Murray cries as the audience cheers him on.
“I can’t stop them, they love you,” says Sue Barker, the former player who won the 1976 French Open and became a TV presenter who is hosting the ceremony.
Before the questions about the highlights of his career begin, Murray warns, with humor to perhaps hide a certain embarrassment at being exposed in this way: “We have to hurry, because my children are here and it’s late for them.”
That’s it, it’s over, we have to go: he passes a guard of honour formed by some of the greatest players including John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and his compatriots Dan Evans, Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper, Tim Henman.
Otherwise, Andy and Jamie Murray lost 7-6 (8/6), 6-4.
2024-07-04 21:19:27
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