Andy Murray Announces Intention to Retire this season

by **Dolphin Ziggler** Fri 11 Jan 2019, 1:21 am

Overnight in Australia, Murray’s comeback has looked all but defeated. In a tearful press conference, Murray announced he would retire this season. He spoke of his intention, or hope, of making it to Wimbledon, but acknowledged that the pain he feels daily could mean that this Australian Open is where his career ends.

I’m gonna copy the whole article from the Guardian as the quotes are quite powerful really.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/11/tearful-andy-murray-to-retire-after-2019-wimbledon-australian-open

Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian wrote:Andy Murray announced this Australian Open “almost certainly” will be his last tournament, bringing to a painful end a career in which he won three grand slam titles and was honoured with a knighthood.

Talking in a hushed voice and struggling to hold back the tears, the 31-year-old Scot said: “I’m not feeling good. I’ve been struggling for a long time. Been in a lot of pain for 20 months now. Pretty much done everything I could to make my hip feel better.

“Wimbledon is where I would like to stop playing but I’m not certain I’ll be able to do that. I’m not certain I can play through the pain for an other four five months.”

Murray said he consulted the Australian surgeon John O’Donnell on Thursday, and that convinced him he could not carry on. He played just 12 matches in 2018 after O’Donnell performed hip surgery on him here a year ago.

Murray said he will now contemplate more drastic surgery to handle the pain and try to lead “a normal life”.

In an emotional press conference of less than 10 minutes, he had to leave the room after the first question, returning to do as best he could to relay his dismay. Tennis has been his life and the pain will be as much spiritual as physical when he leaves Melbourne for the last time as a player.

Murray won two of his three slams bearing the burden of chronic back pain and had to resort to an operation last year to carry on. The hip has bothered him for many years, also, he said. “I can’t even put my shoes or socks on without any pain,” he said – a small private detail that said much.

Murray will be remembered as not just Britain’s best ever player but one of the most committed and courageous.

He went on: “I have a severely damaged right hip, having the operation last year was to give it the best possible chance of being better. I can play with limitations. But having the limitations and the pain is not allowing me to enjoy competing or training.”

Murray will contest his first-round match against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut on Monday but that may prove to be the final match of his illustrious career.

The 31-year-old said: “I’m going to play. I can still play to a level. Not a level that I’m happy playing at. But it’s not just that. The pain is too much really and I don’t want to continue playing that way.

“During my training block I spoke to my team and told them I can’t keep doing this. I needed to have an end point because I was sort of playing with no idea when the pain was going to stop. I said to my team, look I think I can get through this until Wimbledon. That’s where I’d like to stop playing. But I’m also not certain I’m able to do that.”

“I’ve spoken to psychologists about it but nothing helps because you’re in lots and lots of pain and you can’t do what you want to do, what you love doing. It’s not enjoyable doing it anymore.”

He added: “I’ve talked way too much about my hip for 18 months. It’s a daily thing. It’s not just people I work with that ask me, it’s everyone. Everyone I bump into asks me about it, it’s pretty draining.

“The operation didn’t help with the pain at all. The walking and certain things on the court I can’t do properly even now, but it’s the pain that’s the driving issue. Having the limitations and also the pain is not allowing me to enjoy competing or training.

“I’m realistic in knowing that it’s not an easy thing to come back to play professional sport to a high level. It has been done, Bob Bryan [the successful doubles player] had this operation post-Wimbledon last year. I’ve had lots of communication with him about it.

“There’s little things like day to day which are also a struggle. It would be nice to do them without any pain. Putting shoes on, socks on, things like that. That’s the main reason for doing it.

“I have an option to have another operation, which is a little more severe than what I’ve had before but would give me a better quality of life. Some athletes have had that and come back to competing but there’s no guarantees of that. The reason to have it is not to return.”

On Thursday, in front of several thousand fans on Margaret Court Arena, Murray looked decidedly uncomfortable and off the pace in a truncated workout with Djokovic. He held serve just once as the Serb – still reaching for his best tennis – won 10 of the 12 games contested before their allotted time ran out.

I don't come round these parts often, but feels worthy of a thread of its own. I'll leave Jules to moderate any abuse I get king

by **laverfan** Fri 11 Jan 2019, 1:37 am

This is a tragic outcome for an otherwise wonderful career, marred by injury.

by Born Slippy Fri 11 Jan 2019, 1:40 am

As I’ve just said on the other thread, this is so sad but not unexpected given all the messages he’s been coming up with since the start of the year. So cruel as, mentally, I thought he was a player who could have finally realised his true potential in his early 30s. However, it’s not to be. He’s still had an amazing career - one of the greatest of all time and probably the best ever British player. I hope he can conjure up one final win against RBA and retire, at least to an extent, on his own terms.

by CaledonianCraig Fri 11 Jan 2019, 1:55 am

A sad end to a wonderful career and it could all be over within the next week. The writing has been on the wall, as Born Slippy has said, since the start of the year when it is clear Andy is not in the shape he wanted to be in. His movement is hindered and he is playing through pain. It is for the best he exits now and stops torturing himself and his body.

Andy can leave tennis with a string of fantastic achievements which I cannot see another British man matching in my lifetime and the vacuum will be felt in the sport in this country.

Thanks for the memories Andy.

by No name Bertie Fri 11 Jan 2019, 2:55 am

It was clear to me that Murray needed surgery following Wimbledon 2017, what was unclear to me was the severity of his condition.

He is saying he will have another operation just so that he can have a normal life hopefully without hip pain - but that will bring an end to his career because it would be a major operation.

Even following his return in May/June 2018 after his operation in Jan 2018 he was limping on court. He is so good he was able to win a few matches while limping. But he has had a brilliant career breaking a whole number of records for a British guy - winning Wimbledon twice, winning the US Open, winning the Davis Cup almost single handedly and two Olympic singles gold medals, reaching the No 1 ranking and winning the end of year tournament - during the toughest period in mens tennis in any generation.

by Haddie-nuff Fri 11 Jan 2019, 8:12 am

CaledonianCraig wrote:A sad end to a wonderful career and it could all be over within the next week. The writing has been on the wall, as Born Slippy has said, since the start of the year when it is clear Andy is not in the shape he wanted to be in. His movement is hindered and he is playing through pain. It is for the best he exits now and stops torturing himself and his body.

Andy can leave tennis with a string of fantastic achievements which I cannot see another British man matching in my lifetime and the vacuum will be felt in the sport in this country.

Thanks for the memories Andy.

So sorry to hear this Craig no one likes to see injury being the cause of retirement.. at his best Andy did the sport and his country proud.
I fear it wont be too long before we hear the same from Rafa and Roger.. the magic we have seen will never be repeated imo Hug

by sirfredperry Fri 11 Jan 2019, 8:20 am

Very sad news but I think we were all fearing that he would say that he couldn't carry on.
It was quite clear from very early on that Murray would be a great player. At 18 - at his first Wimbledon - he was bossing highly-ranked players with his court craft. All that was lacking in those teenage years was fitness and experience. Once those came, the Scot was a force to reckon with.
Of course, he had to compete with three of the greatest players of all time. The presence of the Big Three meant his GS titles were limited to three. But as NNB notes above, his overall achievements were immense.
He did all this while having to carry a nation's hopes on his shoulders, especially at Wimbledon where his record was incredible. His Davis Cup heroics were particularly memorable, as were his Olympic triumphs.
Comparisons in sport are always contentious. But it's possible a case can be made for Murray being Britain's greatest-ever sportsman and few would argue against him being described as ONE of the greatest-ever British sportsman.
Nice to see all the heart-felt messages to Murray today from current and former players. Quite clear he has been held in high esteem.

by CaledonianCraig Fri 11 Jan 2019, 11:06 am

I think his greatest strength was his will to win. It was there from a very early age. The realisation that to be the best he had to make sacrifices and as a teenager he travelled to Spain to train and learn from the best. He then faced another dilemma when breaking through in realising he had to work greatly on his physical conditioning. He went away and worked on that and became one of the fittest players on the circuit. Murray then faced painful defeats in slam finals that began to mount up. To many that would have been a crushing blow but he persevered and finally won his first slam and the rest is history.

It is sad it had to end this way but nobody can take away his great achievements. It may be for the best he ends his career sooner rather than later for his own well-being and self-esteem but there again to go out at Wimbledon - boy would that be an emotional send off. Sad

by MrInvisible Fri 11 Jan 2019, 11:35 pm

Think its going to take a while for it to sink in that Murray really will be calling it a day. I do think us British tennis fans have taken it for granted having such a top elite performer genuinely challenging for the slams each year. It is tough picking out his biggest achievement but for me it surely must be his 1st Wimbledon title, given the historical significance of being the 1st British mens singles winner there since Fred Perry back in the 1930s. Reaching World Number 1 would probably be close 2nd for me.

Given how much he's achieved it feels churlish to point out under-achievements but I'd argue he could have pushed Djokovic harder in at least a couple of those Australian Open finals and I do think with his game he could have won another hardcourt slam title. I also felt he could have done a bit better at World Tour Finals. Most underrated achievement for me was reaching French Open final in 2016, having beaten Wawrinka in semi-finals, and pushing champion Djokovic to 4 sets. Also,whilst winning the Davis Cup in 2015 is an obvious highlight, his exploits over the previous years, helping get GB back into the World Group shouldn't be overlooked.

Did anyone on here get chance to see him in action at a tournament (as opposed to TV)? Whilst I've been lucky enough to see Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and a few other top players in action I never had the chance to see Murray live at a tournament unfortunately which is bit of a shame.

by Henman Bill Sat 12 Jan 2019, 2:39 am

I saw Murray live at the O2 at least once but not as often as I saw Federer or some other players.

I don't see this as a tragedy, it feels like it now if you are personally emotionally invested for some reason, but take the long view and it's not so bad.

A real tragedy will be if his injury substantially affects the rest of his life.

A real tragedy would be if this injury has struck after Wimbledon 2012, and he'd retired without winning a slam, with people being able to make the plausible argument that he never won have won a slam anyway, and his supporters unable to prove otherwise, even to themselves.

A real tragedy is people dying in a tsunami or women living as second class citizens in Saudi Arabia or any number of things that are more concerning than a privileged millionaire tennis player having to retire.

I even feel more sorry for Tim Henman never winning a slam than I do for Murray right now.

Also, it still feels to me only 80% sure that he'll retire this year. You never know, things can change. I think he shouldn't make any snap decisions after this tournament. Perhaps in a few weeks he can start thinking about whether or not he can Wimbledon.

by Henman Bill Sat 12 Jan 2019, 2:41 am

When I saw him live, he did his down the line forehand pass on the run, a shot which he had no equal at in my opinion. A few days later, at my local tennis club, I tried to do a virtually identical shot, on a full pelt run. As I went to hit the shot, I was visualizing my smoking winner. However, the ball went high into the fence behind the court...

by No name Bertie Sat 12 Jan 2019, 9:05 am

a) I would say the biggest tragedy in British tennis was Laura Robson. She was heading for stardom and the top but her career was cut short before it started with injury.

b) For me Murray's biggest achievement was more or less single handedly winning for Britain the Davis Cup in 2015. Britain had been stuck in the Euro-African tier two zone - Britain had to get to the tier one zone, then some other level and then the World Group Elite level before competing for it. That I would place above the Grand Slam victories given the success of British women at the slams and near success of British men in the Slams in the modern era.

c) The best I have seen Murray play was at Queen I think in 2011 when Murray beat Tsonga in the final. I seem to recall Murray playing a sort of god level tennis where he was placing the ball it seemed at will anywhere in the opposite court where Tsonga was unable to retrieve it. I am not 100% sure it was that year or another year - but it was definitely at Queens. He didn't win Wimbledon that year but I do remember thinking that this Murray was playing at a level that could beat anyone.

d) In the slams prior to him winning a slam I do remember thinking that he had a psychological issue in playing Federer and Nadal - he tended to compete hard in the first few sets then fade. But maybe on reflection it was just that he was up against a different level of opposition. I never felt he had that same pyschological barrier against Djokovic - he was always highly competitive throughout with Djokovic but Djokovic later went up a level (and tended to outlast Murray). Apart from those three Murray seemed to beat everyone else with regularity and ease. He was considered part of the top four because he regularly got to semi-finals in the slams.

by alfie Sat 12 Jan 2019, 12:10 pm

I'm sad to see Murray go... But in truth it's looked inevitable for some time that his injuries would eventually get the better of him.

Two Wimbledon wins ; one US , two Olympics and a Davis Cup : what's left to prove anyway ? At his best he was up there with anyone ; certainly Britain's best ever ...a shame he didn't , mainly through injury , get the chance to build a grand slam record that would show him closer to his three brilliant peers - but that's life.

A great career. I salute him and hope his hip allows him to enjoy family life post-tennis with all the joy he deserves...

by Calder106 Sat 12 Jan 2019, 2:52 pm

Thanks for the memories Andy. As HB states it's not a tragedy but disappointing he has had to call time on his career through injury. I just hope that he can now find a way to be pain free and to be able to enjoy his future whatever it may hold.

Looking back at his career there were so many stand out moments it is hard to pick a favourite. I am going to go for his US Open win though. From two sets up he lost the next two against Novak. At that stage given the slam finals he had lost before I thought here we go again. But then he played a near perfect final set to win his first slam and book his place in the tennis history books.

by lags72 Sat 12 Jan 2019, 3:29 pm

It’s a sad ending to what has been a truly fantastic career.

The first of his historic Wimbledon wins will always have a very special place in the lexicon of great British sporting achievements.

It is, of course, much more about the manner and cause of his enforced retirement than the event itself. Pete Sampras, after all, chose to end his playing career at pretty much the same age - and Bjorn Borg ..... much, much, earlier. But they, and other big names, went entirely on their own terms ; and that’s a very different scenario than that currently confronting Andy.

For me, Nadal’s well-worded comments - as reported below on the BBC sport website - puts things into perfect perspective.......

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/46849217

by sirfredperry Sat 12 Jan 2019, 5:40 pm

Just reading some of the many words written about Murray today, I'm struck by how heart-felt some of the tributes have been from fellow players.
Kyrgios, for example, has spoken of feeling like a younger brother to Murray. It's clear that he was held in high regard by his rivals, not just for his tennis but for his sheer humanity.
I've always thought that sportsmen are in a bit of a bubble during their careers while they concentrate on their all-too-short sporting lifespan and it's just sheer luck for the general public if they turn out to be nice guys or gals and role models.
It seems that Murray has been inspiring both on and off the court.

by Danny_1982 Sun 13 Jan 2019, 8:19 pm

Hi folks. Haven't posted here for a long time. Don't really get a chance to enjoy such freedoms since becoming a dad. Logged in to see the messages about Murray and thought I'd add my thoughts, perhaps for the last time as i believe tomorrow is extremely likely to be his last ever tennis match.

Andy had me fascinated from the very start, in that first appearance at Queens. He had such a natural feel for the ball, expressed every emotion he was feeling and had such passion. I followed him very closely since the th this day.

I always thought his was the most complicated game I'd seen in tennis. He had such invention, such soft hands, and could really unload when he chose to... But had a caution to his game. He played on the back foot, almost as if unsure how to maximise his many gifts. But boy was he good at it, due to incredible speed and anticipation he could beat top 10 players from 2 metres behind the baseline.

He climbed to the top 4 of the game, but couldn't quite bring himself to risk all to win the biggest prizes. Only when Lendl came on board did the whole start to resemble the sum of the parts. For the first time he seemed to have a clear way of playing that he believed in, and the big prizes started to come.

I'll never forget the USO final on 2012, perhaps even more than the holy grail of Wimbledon 2013. As a fan it felt like reward in believing that the ability was there, that it just took some guidance of how best to use the many tools he had.

Within a couple of months of winning Wimbledon injury struck, and he was under the surgeons knife. It took a good 18 months after this for him to be truly back, and in 2016 he produced his best tennis, finally he looked to fully invested in his own ability.

But injury struck again, when he was world number 1. I suppose there's a certain romance in the fact that we'll never see a true decline. The last we really saw of andy was the 4th set of the FO semi with Stan. Nothing after that counts. I also believe that those appallingly timed huge injuries stopped him getting the numbers his ability and determination truly merited. Both times they dloored him when he'd reached his finest level. Or perhaps if he'd met Ivan a few years earlier...

I'll be watching tomorrow, and I believe it will be the last time. He is my favourite sportsman to watch ever. His spirit, his determination. The joy at fimally seeing him, for a couple of fleeting spells, finally finding the formula to match and beat his main rivals when it mattered. One of the best sportsmen my shores have ever produced. I have thoroughly enjoyed the ride he's given us fans. Tennis won't ever be the same for me, personally.

Thanks for the memories Andy.

Over and out.

by Henman Bill Mon 14 Jan 2019, 8:34 pm

I vaguely recall that Tsonga match at Queens.

Olympics 2012 final was another strong performance. Federer had just an amazing year from about October 2011 to Wimbledon 2012, very high level, and was in top form and world no 1, and was taken apart in straights sets.

That was a day when he could comfortably beat a big 3 in a major final without them playing poorly or being injured, but just because he played at his best level.

I wonder if the big four will all end up retiring at the same time within a year or two. You would have thought Rafa or Federer will go first. But who knows maybe they will go on another 3 years!

Novak you could see as the last man standing piling on a few slams for a year or two after the other three have retired.

But all speculation.

by lags72 Wed 06 Mar 2019, 11:55 am

Andy has just been speaking (first time in a good while, I think ....) about his hopes for a return, of one sort or another, to competitive tennis.

Only caught the very tail end of his comments but didn’t sound too optimistic, sadly. He put his chances of competing at this year’s Wimbledon at less than 50%. Perhaps no great surprise there, but disappointing all the same.

by No name Bertie Wed 06 Mar 2019, 12:15 pm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/47466258

I don't understand why he wants to return to singles level professional tennis at all. He accepts he will never be winning another singles grand slam or master's title and maybe the best he could hope for would be to get into the top #50 ranking.

The past 20 months, when he tried to get back to playing tennis again, knowing the seriousness of the hip condition he was carrying - he only seemed interested in trying to compete at the top level (rather than challenger or future levels).

It seems he needs the adrenaline rush of competing at an individual level against other individuals at a very high level.

I thought he might focus on developing a doubles partnership if he still felt the urge to compete at a professional level. That way he would still be seen in all the big tennis tournaments on maybe a farewell tour.

by sirfredperry Wed 06 Mar 2019, 5:31 pm

The good news for Murray is that he is now free of pain. It's wait and see as far as his coming back to tennis is concerned. He says he's under no pressure to return and will just see how it goes.

by dummy_half Wed 06 Mar 2019, 10:05 pm

I can understand him entering Wimbledon if fit enough to play and not cause any problems to the hip, just as a farewell to his fans. I can't understand why he would return to the grind of the tour if he is only able to play at top 50 level.

by CaledonianCraig Thu 07 Mar 2019, 10:36 am

No name Bertie wrote:https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/47466258

I don't understand why he wants to return to singles level professional tennis at all. He accepts he will never be winning another singles grand slam or master's title and maybe the best he could hope for would be to get into the top #50 ranking.

The past 20 months, when he tried to get back to playing tennis again, knowing the seriousness of the hip condition he was carrying - he only seemed interested in trying to compete at the top level (rather than challenger or future levels).

It seems he needs the adrenaline rush of competing at an individual level against other individuals at a very high level.

I thought he might focus on developing a doubles partnership if he still felt the urge to compete at a professional level. That way he would still be seen in all the big tennis tournaments on maybe a farewell tour.

Simple really. He has already said what he wants more than anything is for his children to be able to watch him play in a singles match on the tour. That is the over-riding desire. Remember we did see Leyton Hewitt play on and getting lauded despite not being a contender any more.

by lags72 Thu 07 Mar 2019, 5:06 pm

@ CaledonianCraig : I am personally of the view that Murray can look back on a career which was actually far more ‘enduring’ (in many ways) than Hewitt’s, and one where he was a serious, consistent, contender for much longer - especially at the Slams.

In truth, Hewitt’s spell at the very highest level of the game lasted around five years at most. He was a quality player, no doubt ; but for the last dozen or so years of his time on Tour, until retirement, he was unable to capture any top titles eg Masters grade or above.

by CaledonianCraig Thu 07 Mar 2019, 5:54 pm

lags72 wrote:@ CaledonianCraig : I am personally of the view that Murray can look back on a career which was actually far more ‘enduring’ (in many ways) than Hewitt’s, and one where he was a serious, consistent, contender for much longer - especially at the Slams.

In truth, Hewitt’s spell at the very highest level of the game lasted around five years at most. He was a quality player, no doubt ; but for the last dozen or so years of his time on Tour, until retirement, he was unable to capture any top titles eg Masters grade or above.

Oh definitely lags - you will get no debate from me there. My likening Murray to Hewitt was purely on the part of where it may be that we see Murray return and play at a lower level on the tour with the odd noted win here and there as Hewitt did but for Andy it is about playing long enough for his children to see him playing competitive tennis on the tour. Listening to his comments he is under no illusions about the level he expects to return to and he seems comfortable with that.

by **laverfan** Tue 12 Mar 2019, 2:03 am

Murray for Chairman@AELTC!

by CaledonianCraig Thu 25 Apr 2019, 10:43 am

Is Lazarus stirring?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/48043952

by Nathaniel Jacobs Thu 25 Apr 2019, 10:56 am

Hope he doesn’t rush just to play Wimbledon. If he feels it’s a proper recovery he should built up and hit the ground running in 2020

by CaledonianCraig Thu 25 Apr 2019, 11:04 am

Nathaniel Jacobs wrote:Hope he doesn’t rush just to play Wimbledon. If he feels it’s a proper recovery he should built up and hit the ground running in 2020

I would agree with that. Rumours going around he may elect to only enter the less demanding doubles to test how he is. We shall see.

by sirfredperry Thu 23 May 2019, 4:14 pm

Andy has said he may well enter the doubles at Wimbledon, but almost certainly not the singles.

He has taken inspiration from Bob Bryan's recovery from a similar hip operation. Murray has said that he's pain-free at the moment and that the plan is to see how things go in the hopes that he WILL be able to play singles again at some stage.

Here are some quotes from the man: "If I continue to feel good then I will obviously give it a shot in singles and see what happens. In doubles I'm pretty certain I'll be able to play, just based on having an example to look at.

"The thing I said before was that, if I wasn't feeling good, there was more chance that I would play and then stop after Wimbledon. Whereas if it's feeling good, it makes a bit more sense to give it time to make sure that it's as good as possible before I try to play singles on it."

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