WIMBLE-DONE, ANDY?
Beaten, in pain... but brave Murray gives fans hope he’s not ready to retire just yet
‘Maybe I’ll see you again’
HE had left fans fearing it would be his last appearance on a tennis court. But Sir Andy Murray did his best to raise their hopes yesterday that he is not ready to retire just yet.
The former world No 1 may have lost his first round match at the Australian Open but the brave manner of his defeat sent a message that he could play at Wimbledon this summer – and even beyond.
Murray, 31, defying the pain from his chronic hip injury, battled back from two sets down against No 22 seed Roberto Bautista Agut to square the match, only to lose the deciding fifth set to the Spaniard.
The typically gutsy and defiant performance, cheered by a crowd of 15,000 in Melbourne, was hailed by many as heroic.
Following the match, Murray’s mother Judy tweeted a painting depicting her son in medieval battle dress as Henry V.
It was captioned with the Agincourt rallying cry ‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...’ from Shakespeare’s play about the English king. Murray, who in 2013 became the first British man to win the men’s singles at Wimbledon for 77 years, had cast doubt on his chances of playing at SW19 this summer. He even appeared glum about his prospects of playing any more tournaments.
In a tearful press conference on Friday, the double Olympic champion had told of his 18month struggle to overcome a serious hip injury.
While saying that he planned to retire after a final appearance at Wimbledon, the father of two broke down as he admitted that the Australian Open could be his last tournament because of the pain he suffers, the constant need for rehabilitation and the prospect of further surgery.
Yesterday, after showing he has lost none of the desire that won him two Wimbledon singles titles and a US Open and admitting he ‘gave everything I had’ against Agut, he hinted he could play beyond the summer – even if he needs an operation first.
Watched by his mother, older brother Jamie and father-in-law Nigel Sears, the Scot told the crowd: ‘Maybe I’ll see you again. I’ll do everything possible to try.’
As a montage of heartfelt tributes from the game’s biggest names, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, was screened, Murray added: ‘If this was my last match, it was an amazing way to end.’
Spaniard Nadal, who has battled a series of knee injuries, said: ‘It is very sad you have to take that position [to retire] but sometimes life is not perfect. I just want to say thanks for all the things you give to our sport.’
Swiss star Federer said: ‘Amazing career, buddy. You have done Scotland proud, Britain proud, you are a Sir. Who can say that? Hardly anybody. But you did it as a tennis player. You always have friends in the locker room and you should be very proud of that fact. Just know that I am your biggest fan.’
Serb Djokovic, who lost to Murray in the 2013 Wimbledon final, said: ‘Thank you for leaving your heart and every last drop of energy on the court and being a true example and inspiring younger generations to play tennis the way you played it.’
Later Murray wrote on social media: ‘What a ******* night. Thanks so much to everyone who came out to support tonight… It was an incredible atmosphere and I feel very lucky that I got to experience it.’