A sigh, tears held back with difficulty and a greeting with wide arms, as if to symbolically embrace all those who celebrated him on an unforgettable evening. Sir Andy Murray thus said goodbye to Wimbledon, the garden of his home that paid homage to him for the last time. The “Last Dance” on Centre Court for the two-time champion of the Championships, flanked in doubles by his brother Jamie. The result did not smile on the Scottish pair, beaten in two sets by the Australians Rinky Hijikata and John Peers, but this matters little. It was Andy’s evening, welcomed already upon entering the court by a long standing ovation from the crowd. The first moment in which Murray barely held back the tears. Then the match, lasting an hour and 30 minutes, almost like an “interlude” between one celebration (the initial one) and the other (the final one). For the occasion, everyone was there: the family (his wife Kim, his children, mother Judy and father William), the legends of this sport (from Djokovic to McEnroe, passing through Martina Navratilova) and also the eternal Sue Barker, the voice of the Championships who retired in 2022, but returned only for Andy.
And it was Sue Barker who had the final interview. A long journey into memories, summed up in an emotional video to the tune of “Creep” by Radiohead and the words of Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. A past made of joys and sorrows, a present that is hard to accept due to the injuries that forced Murray to retire. “The last few years have been tough” admitted the Scot, struggling to hold back the tears. So much pain, both physical and mental. Then the explanation for his retirement: “It’s tough. I’d like to continue playing, but physically I can’t. It’s too tough, all the injuries have added up. I’d like to play forever, I love the sport. It’s given me so much, I’ve learned a lot of lessons that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop, so it’s difficult”. The stop, however, will come in the next few weeks, after the Olympic Games in Paris. First, however, there is still an appointment at the Championships: the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu. Another match on his home grass.
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2024-07-04 21:15:48
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