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Tag: Murray

  • Murray confirms retirement after Olympics 

    Murray confirms retirement after Olympics 

    Andy Murray has  confirmed that he will retire after the Paris Olympics, closing another chapter in tennis’s golden age.

    The 37-year-old, a two-time Olympic champion, is planning to play in the singles and doubles at his fifth Games.

     “Arrived in Paris for my last-ever tennis tournament @Olympics,” the three-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one posted on social media. “Competing for Great Britain has been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get to do it one final time.”

    Murray has been ravaged by injuries in recent years, slumping to 121st in the world.

    The Scot has played with a metal hip since 2019 and suffered ankle damage earlier this year before undergoing surgery to remove a spinal cyst, which ruled him out of singles at Wimbledon.

    Instead, he played doubles with brother Jamie and was defeated in the first round before an emotional tribute arranged by tournament chiefs.

     “It’s hard because I would love to keep playing but I can’t,” admitted Murray at the All England Club. “Physically it is too tough now, all of the injuries, they have added up and they haven’t been insignificant.”

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    Murray famously ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s champion at Wimbledon when he triumphed in 2013, defeating career-long rival Novak Djokovic in the final.

    He added a second title in 2016, taking his career majors total to three after breaking his duck at the 2012 US Open.

    Murray won gold at the 2012 Olympics on an emotional day at the All England Club when he defeated Roger Federer just weeks after he had lost the Wimbledon final to the Swiss on the same Centre Court.

    Four years later, he defeated Juan Martin del Potro to become the first player, male or female, to win two Olympic singles golds.

    Murray also led Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015, the country’s first in 79 years.

    He has won 46 titles in all and banked around $65 million in prize money.

    International Tennis Federation president Dave Haggerty said Murray had “lived and breathed the values of tennis throughout his long career, championing equality and helping to send the message that our sport is for everyone”.

    Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney hailed Murray as “our greatest-ever sportsman”.

     “Heartfelt thanks to @andy_murray for an outstanding and inspiring career which has made a profound impact on so many,” he posted on X.

    Murray’s mother, Judy, commented in a post on X: “5th Olympics. Final tournament,” followed by a symbol representing an explosion.

    The British star’s success came in an era dominated by Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

    The so-called ‘Big Three’ have hovered up 66 Grand Slam titles between them but time is catching up with the icons of the sport.

    Federer won 20 majors before he retired in 2022.

    Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam winner, is 38 years old and has played just six tournaments all year as he battles injury.

    Djokovic, 37, the holder of 24 majors, has been deposed as Australian Open and Roland Garros champion in 2024.

    Jannik Sinner, the 22-year-old Italian, succeeded him as champion in Melbourne and took his world number one ranking.

    Carlos Alcaraz, 21, won the French Open and successfully defended his Wimbledon title, sweeping Djokovic off court in a one-sided final earlier this month.

    If Djokovic loses his US Open title in September, it will be the first time since 2002 that at least one of the three giants has failed to win a Slam title.

    The tennis competition in Paris begins at Roland Garros on July 27 and ends on August 4.

  • Murray out of Wimbledon after back surgery

    Murray out of Wimbledon after back surgery

    Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been ruled out of this year’s tournament after undergoing back surgery, the ATP Tour confirmed on Sunday.

     “After an operation on a spinal cyst, Andy Murray is sadly out of Wimbledon. Rest up and recover Andy, we’ll miss seeing you there,” the ATP said on X, formerly Twitter.

    The Scot had been aiming to make a farewell appearance at the grass court Grand Slam, which he won in 2013 and 2016.

    However, the 37-year-old will need an expected six weeks to recover from surgery with Wimbledon starting on July 1.

    He now also faces a race against time to be fit for next month’s Paris Olympics, with Murray twice a gold medallist in the singles.

    Read Also: Paris 2024: Murray named for fifth Olympics

    Murray managed just five games before a back injury forced him to withdraw from his second-round match against Australia’s Jordan Thompson at the Queen’s warm-up event in London on Wednesday.

    The former world number one, who plays with a metal hip, struggled from the start of his match against Thompson and said afterwards he had a feeling of weakness in his right leg and had lost coordination.

     “I never had that loss of coordination, control and strength in my leg before,” Murray said shortly after retiring from his match with Thompson. “I’ve been struggling with my back for a while – I had lost the power in my right leg so lost all motor control, I had no coordination and couldn’t really move.”

    Asked then about his prospects of playing at Wimbledon, he added: “Like all tennis players, we have degenerative joints and stuff in the back, but it’s all predominantly been left-sided for me my whole career.

     “I have never had too many issues with the right side. So maybe there is something that can be done between now and then to help the right side.”

    Murray underwent minor back surgery in 2013 and following a first-round loss at the recent French Open he said he would need treatment to address soreness.

    The three-time Grand Slam champion only returned to competitive action in May after nearly two months out with an ankle injury.

    He had been due to play singles and doubles with his brother Jamie at Wimbledon before potentially ending his career at the Olympics in Paris.

  • Murray: I don’t know how long I’ll last

    A VISIBLY emotional Andy Murray admitted he is unsure how much longer he will be able to play competitive tennis after making his latest comeback in Brisbane.

    The former world number one appeared to fight back tears as he reflected on his battle to resume his career following hip surgery, saying it had been “really hard”.

    Murray progressed to the second round of the Brisbane International on Tuesday with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Australian wildcard James Duckworth, his first match since bringing an early end to a truncated season in September.

    Speaking in his on-court interview after the match, the Scot said of his recovery: “It’s not easy to sort of sum up in one sentence or one answer, it’s been really hard; 18 months, a lot of ups and downs, it’s been tricky to just get back on the court competing again.

    “So I’m happy I’m back out here again, I want to try and enjoy it as much as I can and just try and enjoy playing tennis as long as I can. I don’t know how much longer it’s going to last but we’ll see.”

    It was in Brisbane last January when Murray decided that he would have to undergo surgery for a problem that first surfaced in the summer of 2017.

    The two-time Wimbledon champion managed just half a dozen tournaments in 2018 and spent several periods during the last six months in Philadelphia working with a reconditioning specialist.

    Now ranked 240 in the world, he appeared positive about his meeting with Duckworth, who is six places above him in the ATP rankings.

  • Murray out of Madrid Masters

    Murray out of Madrid Masters

    World number one Andy Murray’s slump in form continued with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat to lucky loser Borna Coric in the third round of the Madrid Masters on Thursday.

    Murray has now failed to reach the quarter-finals in any of his last three Masters series events, as well as suffering a shock fourth round exit at the Australian Open to Mischa Zverev in January.

    World number 59 Coric, handed a reprieve to enter the draw despite losing in qualifying to Mikhail Kukushkin, will face either Grigor Dimitrov or Dominic Thiem in Friday’s quarter-finals.

    Coric has now, though, beaten the Wimbledon champion in two of their four meetings having thrashed Murray at the Qatar Open at the Dubai Tennis Championships in 2015.

    Murray was made to pay for missing break point opportunities early in both sets as Coric adjusted better to the indoor conditions with the roof at the Manolo Santana court closed due to rain.

    Coric saved two break points to hold for 2-2 in the opening set before a run of three consecutive breaks of serve opened up a 4-3 lead for the 20-year-old.

    And he rammed home his advantage by breaking the fragile Murray serve again to close out the set.

    Murray had his chances once more with two more break points early in the second.

    But after failing to capitalise the Scot looked distracted as he remonstrated with his coaching staff as the second set went with serve until a terrible eighth game from Murray gifted Coric the break once more.

    Despite the pressure of serving for the match, Coric remained cool to seal victory in just under 90 minutes on court when Murray fired wide.

    AFP

  • Murray beats Copil to reach third round at Madrid Open

    Murray beats Copil to reach third round at Madrid Open

    World number one Andy Murray on Tuesday  progressed to the third round of the Madrid Open with a straight-set victory over Romanian Marius Copil.

    The Briton, who had a bye in the first round, claimed a 6-4 6-3 victory.

    The 29-year-old player was not at his best in the opening exchanges but broke world number 104 Copil at 5-4 to take the first set.

    He pounced again at 3-2 in the second and did not face a single break point in a straightforward victory.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Andy Murray was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the 2016 Madrid Open final

  • Murray raises fund for Syrian refugees

    Murray raises fund for Syrian refugees

    British tennis star Andy Murray has helped raise more than 83,000 pounds ($121,000) for Syrian refugee children by donating money for every ace he scored through his Andy’s Aces initiative, the U.N. children’s agency (UNICEF) said on Monday.

    Murray, who is ranked world number two, announced in September he would donate 50 pounds for every ace he hit until the end of 2015.

    He is the latest celebrity to donate money to Syrian war victims. Last month, actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher announced a $1 million donation to two charities working in Syria.

    “I remember watching the news last summer and deciding I wanted to do something to help some of the millions of children whose lives have turned upside down by the situation in Syria,” said Murray, who is expecting his first child next month with his wife Kim.

    “It’s amazing that we’ve been able to raise so much, and I’m very grateful to my sponsors and fans for their help in this – I couldn’t have done it without them,” he said in statement.

    Murray’s donations to UNICEF were matched by his sponsors Standard Life and Under Armour, along with the Lawn Tennis Association and The Association of Tennis Professionals.

    The U.K. government also matched all donations made by the British public from Oct. 29 October last year. And additional funds were raised through the Tie Break Tens tournament and the ATP ACES for Charity programme.

    The money raised by the tennis champion can provide more than 16,000 children with blankets, UNICEF said.

    “Almost five years into the conflict, Syria remains one of the most dangerous places to be a child and millions of children have lost loved ones, homes and schools,” UNICEF UK executive director, David Bull, said.

    “Their world has been turned upside down by the conflict and humanitarian needs are becoming ever more urgent. The support of Andy, his fans and the wider tennis community will help us provide support for children who have lost so much.”

  • Murray takes to Twitter to show off xmas jumper

    Murray takes to Twitter to show off xmas jumper

    Andy Murray hasn’t had the best year on the tennis court, but he seems surprisingly delighted as he threw on a festive jumper for Christmas.

    The Scottish tennis star shared a picture on Twitter of himself sitting on a chair and sporting a festive jumper, accompanied by the caption: “As you can see I’m chuffed to bits with my Christmas jumper #FireInTheBelly”.

    The 27-year-old sportsman is known for his dry wit, so this seemed to have pleased fans with almost 5,000 retweets.

    Murray spent his Christmas Day with the family, as he also showed off a shirt from the football team he supports, Arsenal, in a photo alongside his older brother Jamie, who’s sporting a Man United top.

    But, Murray wasn’t the only one to share his festive shots on social media. So did many celebrities across the worlds of fashion, sport and Hollywood including Cara Delevingne, Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Hurley, Kevin Pietersen, Nigella Lawson, James Blunt, Stella McCartney and Naomi Campbell.

  • Murray lands first luxury fashion ad campaign

    Murray lands first luxury fashion ad campaign

    Andy Murray has landed his first  luxury fashion ad campaign, as the face of Rado. The tennis ace will star in the new global print adverts for the Swiss watch brand.

    Photographed on Andy’s clay training court in Valencia, the imagery features a selection of headshots and action shots – the latter of which were captured using a camera shutter speed of 1/800th of a second thanks to the power of Andy’s serve (that’s faster than that used to shoot a racing car).

    The 27-year-old models the Rado HyperChrome Automatic Chronograph watch in the campaign – the same watch he was wearing when lifting the Wimbledon trophy in 2013. Murray has been a brand ambassador for Rado since May 2012.

    The new campaign will roll out internationally from now.

  • First organ transplant surgeon dies

    First organ transplant surgeon dies

    Dr. Joseph Murray, the surgeon who performed the world’s first successful human organ transplant, has died.

    He was 93.

    BBC says the Nobel Prize winner passed away at the same Boston Hospital where, almost six decades ago, he performed the surgery that would transform medicine.

    In December 1954, Dr. Murray made history when he transplanted a kidney between identical twins.

    He learned his craft during World War II, treating badly burnt soldiers.

    By performing skin grafts on troops, he realised the biggest obstacle in the procedure was the immune system’s rejection of foreign tissue.

    Working at Boston’s Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, he and colleagues managed to successfully transplant kidneys on dogs.

    Using the new surgical techniques, he took the healthy kidney of 23-year-old Ronald Herrick and transplanted it into his identical twin, Richard, who had kidney failure. Richard lived another eight years.

    In 1962, with the arrival of drugs to suppress the immune response, he completed the first successful organ transplant from an unrelated donor.

    His work led to hundreds of thousands of transplants in America alone and sparked an ongoing ethical debate.

    Dr. Murray was a deeply religious man. He told the Harvard University Gazette in 2001: “Work is a prayer. And I start off every morning dedicating it to our Creator.”

     

  • Murray arrives in Dunblane to celebrate title

    Murray arrives in Dunblane to celebrate title

    The win in the Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows emulated Fred Perry’s 1936 achievement and capped a special year for the 25-year-old Scot, who won gold at the Olympic Games after he beat Roger Federer in the final – a rematch of this year’s Wimbledon final where the Swiss triumphed.

    Murray also won Olympic silver in the mixed doubles competition with Laura Robson.

    ‘It’s overwhelming and I’ve never had anything like that before,’ Murray told Sky Sports News, after around 15,000 people came to celebrate his return.

    The other day I woke up after sleeping on the sofa and I was questioning whether it [the US Open win] actually happened.

    ‘It was when I woke up and realised I had actually won the US Open that it all started to sink in.’

    Murray’s walkabout in the town overran by an hour after he decided against travelling on the bus with his family and friends and instead spent time signing autographs and meeting his fans.

    Murray’s mother Judy, who travelled on the bus decorated by children from Dunblane Primary school, said: ‘I’m absolutely amazed. I thought it was going to be mobbed but I didn’t realise it was going to be as mobbed as this.

    ‘It’s wonderful for Andy to come back and share the success of the summer with people of the town.

    ‘Coming back to your roots and the town you grew up, he always gets such amazing support whenever he plays but particularly when he’s in a final. It’s amazing.’