Andy Murray, the Great British Tennis Show, retires after giving everything he had, everywhere
From fitness and diet, to tactics and coaches, he left no stone unturned—and was rewarded.
As if competing for oneself wasn’t hard enough, try taking on the hopes and dreams of an entire nation—and in this case, the one that invented tennis.
Welcome to the life and times of Sir Andy Murray (he was knighted in 2019), who retired from professional tennis today at 37, after a quarterfinal loss in doubles at the Paris Olympics.
As of 2005, the year Murray turned 18, Great Britain had gone nearly 70 years without seeing one of its men earn a Grand Slam singles title. Having won the US Open junior title in 2004, Murray had been anointed his country’s next tennis savior.
Life as the Great British Tennis Hope is a relentless fishbowl. Wimbledon generates attention like nothing else in all of tennis: broadcast media from all corners, a globetrotting corps of tennis correspondents and then—most prying—tabloid publications that generally opt for the sellable angle of least resistance. Amid this potentially blinding spotlight, Murray crafted a Hall of Fame resume. He won three Grand Slam singles titles, including two at Wimbledon; played the lead role in Great Britain’s 2015 run to the Davis Cup title (its first since 1936); won two Olympic gold medals in singles (along with a silver in mixed doubles) and 46 ATP Tour singles titles; and attained a career-high ranking of No. 1 in the world.
Of course, Wimbledon was the linchpin. Murray made a major breakthrough there in 2006, beating the man who’d reached the last two men’s singles finals, Andy Roddick, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the third round. Murray’s superb court sense that day was enthralling, a savant-like ability to mix up speeds and spins.
Those skills had been honed from a young age. Born and raised in Scotland, Murray began to play tennis at the age of three. He was taught by the game by his mother Judy, an excellent player in her own right, who was eager to share the game with both Andy and his older brother by 15 months, Jamie.
Years later, Judy would note that in the Scotland of her time, there was little expertise on stroke production; that is, the mechanics of how to hit the tennis ball. But her own experiences observing the game had made her a keen tactician. Three principles formed the basis of the Judy Murray tennis philosophy: Make trouble. Avoid trouble. Get out of trouble. Andy took these to heart, closely studied the game’s greats and devised ways he would deploy his growing set of tools versus theirs Leon Smith, later to become Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain, also coached Murray through much of his formative years.
He never stopped looking for ways to improve himself and find ways to enjoy what he loved most of all—to compete.
There was also an unprecedented moment. On March 13, 1996, in Dunblane, Scotland, a man named Thomas Hamilton entered the gymnasium of the school both Murray boys were attending and murdered 16 children. Andy was then eight years old, Jamie ten. Years later, interviewed for a BBC documentary, Andy broke into tears and said, “You have no idea how tough something like that is, and than as you start get older, you realize.”
By the age of 15, lacking many players to sharpen his game against, Murray took a bold step, relocating to Barcelona to train at the famed Sanchez-Casal Academy, where he further honed his skills through work with longstanding coach Pato Alvarez and ex-pro Emilio Sanchez.
Murray rose up the rankings swiftly. He first singles title came in February 2006, when the 18-year-old took down Roddick in the semis and former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in a thrilling San Jose final. By 2008, he’d reached his first Grand Slam singles final, beating Rafael Nadal in the semis of the US Open, before losing to Roger Federer. A the end of 2008, Murray was ranked No. 4.
There followed the years of success, juxtaposed with expectation and even anguish. In 2010, upon losing the Australian Open final to Federer—the first of five title-round losses in Melbourne—Murray broke down in tears and said, “I can cry like Roger. I wish I could play like him.”
Murray’s mental makeup as a tennis player was unusual, even at times contradictory and puzzling. A tactical genius, Murray played points with precision and wisdom. Anchored by one of the best backhands in the game, he was fast, alert, and able to calibrate sustained prudence and, on special occasions, a brilliant placement. In between points, though, Murray’s emotions often surfaced in a rather harsh manner. During those dark moments, Murray verbally berated himself and his courtside box. The sight of Judy, Murray’s wife Kim and his coach forced to witness this in silence was often quite disconcerting.
But Murray knew he needed a change. In early 2012, he began working with Ivan Lendl, a stern taskmaster whose implicit message was this: Don’t even try that juvenile stuff with me. Lendl’s explicit message: Hit out more on your forehand. Murray by this stage of his career had lost his first three Grand Slam singles finals. Lendl had lost his first four, so the two shared the affinity of painful defeats.
With Lendl in his corner, Murray reached his first Wimbledon singles final in 2012—the first time a British man had gone that far since 1938. Though he’d lose a tight four-setter to Federer, Murray’s splendid effort and post-match speech proved endearing. Again in tears, Murray said, “I’m getting closer.”
Less than a month later, also at Wimbledon, Murray took gold at the Olympics, beating Djokovic 7-5, 7-5 in the semis and Federer in the final, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.
His summer of ascent finished in New York. Seeded third, Murray was once again in a major singles final, this time versus the holder, Djokovic. In a match that lasted six minutes short of five hours, Murray labored, but at last earned the title, 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2. “When I realized I had won,” said Murray, “I was a little bit shocked, I was very relieved and I was very relieved.” All of Great Britain likely felt the same way—but also hungered for an even bigger triumph on native grounds.
They didn’t have to wait long. In the 2013 Wimbledon quarterfinals, Murray took on Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, a slashing lefthander who throughout most of his career personified the term, “dangerous floater.” Verdasco won the first two sets 6-4, 6-3, but Murray rallied to win the next two 6-1, 6-4 and then squeak out the decider, 7-5. From there, it was slightly easier—a four-set semifinal win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and, again versus Djokovic, a straight-set victory, Murray at last finding deliverance on his fourth championship point. As British journalist Simon Cambers wrote that day, “Seventy-seven years of pain were wiped away Sunday.”
For five years, 2012-2016, Murray was very much in the thick of it alongside Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, turning tennis’ ruling elite into the “Big Four.”
There followed more grand moments. Pacing Great Britain to the Davis Cup in 2015 was a remarkable effort, Murray winning all eleven matches he played: eight in singles, three in doubles alongside Jamie. Naturally, it fell to Andy to score the championship point, closing out it versus Belgian David Goffin in straight sets with a signature Murray shot—a backhand lob winner.
WATCH: Andy Murray reflects on Roland Garros memories with TENNIS.com in Paris ⤵️
The next summer, an exclamation point at SW19: Murray’s second Wimbledon title. This one was far less dramatic. Save for a five-set quarterfinal win versus Tsonga, Murray winning it 6-1 in the fifth, he won all of his other matches in straight sets, including a rather business-like victory over Milos Raonic in the final.
In August, Murray again struck Olympic gold, Murray grinding out a rough-and-tumble four-setter versus Juan Martin del Potro, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
And yet, even though Murray was ranked No. 2 in the world at this stage, few dared imagine the incredible run he would make that fall. Over the course of four weeks in October and early November, Murray won titles in Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna and Paris to put him within striking distance of the top ranking. Fittingly, he earned it in London, winning five matches—including a win over Djokovic in the final—to claim his first year-end championship and year-end No. 1.
He was still just 29 years old as 2017 began. By Wimbledon, though, a hip injury began to surface. Upon losing to Sam Querrey in a five-set quarterfinal—dropping the last two sets 6-1, 6-1—Murray’s tennis year ended. In 2018, following hip surgery, he was only able to play 12 matches, his year-end ranking plummeting to 260. A year later, at the Australian Open, Murray revealed that injury was so painful that he had difficulty putting his socks on. Following a first round, five-set loss to Roberto Bautista Agut, a video tribute aired. Surgery in London followed later in January.
But Murray wasn’t quite finished. He returned to doubles duty in June, winning the Queen's Club tournament alongside Feliciano Lopez. Though he skipped playing singles in the majors, in the fall he displayed exceptional tenacity, winning the singles title in Antwerp.
How best to remember Andy Murray? From fitness and diet, to tactics and coaches, Murray left no stone unturned. Over the course of nearly 15 years competing at the highest levels, he never stopped looking for ways to improve himself and find ways to enjoy what he loved most of all—to compete. One word: Devoted. No nation dare ask more.