Andy Murray sent clear message as tennis star backed to retire before Rafael Nadal
Andy Murray recently revealed that he would stop playing tennis this summer.
Tennis fans believe that Andy Murray won’t enjoy another moment of glory before ending his career. The three-time Grand Slam champion recently confirmed that he would likely stop playing professional tennis after this summer. And Express Sport readers believe that the Brit will hang up his racket before old rival Rafael Nadal.
Murray is primed to retire this year, as he finally ended months of speculation about the end of his career when he shared his plans to stop playing. The former world No. 1 fuelled retirement rumours during an on-court interview in Dubai last month when he said: “I probably don’t have too long left but I’ll do the best I can these last few months.”
The 36-year-old elaborated a couple of days later, saying: “I’m likely not going to play past this summer. I get asked about it after every single match that I play, every single tournament that I play. I’m bored of the question, to be honest. Yeah, I’m not going to talk more about that between now and whenever the time comes for me to stop. But yeah, I don’t plan on playing much past this summer.”
With only a few months left of his career, Murray will be hoping to go out on a high with at least one more big run before the end. But tennis fans have sent the world No. 61 a clear message, claiming that he won’t be able to lift another title to go out on a high.
An overwhelming 87 per cent of Express Sport readers said no when asked whether Murray would be able to have one final crowning moment, with just 13 per cent backing him to add to his haul of 46 career titles. It’s unsurprising given that the Brit hasn’t lifted a trophy since October 2019 – just a few months after his hip resurfacing surgery.
Since then, he has reached three finals – the most recent coming in Doha last February – losing them all. But he did win three Challenger Tour titles in 2023, Aix-en-Provence, Surbiton and Nottingham.
It’s also not yet clear exactly when Murray will decide to hang it up, though he has shared his hopes of playing the French Open, Wimbledon and Olympics. The Olympics takes place a couple of weeks after Wimbledon, meaning there is no chance of a farewell at SW19.
Murray hasn’t commented on playing the US Open – beginning three weeks after the Olympic Games – but he is a former champion so it could be a potential farewell tournament. However, Express Sport readers don’t want the 36-year-old to wait that long to end his career.
63 per cent said Murray should retire at the Olympics, which are taking place on the French Open grounds this summer. The world No. 61 is a two-time gold medallist, making it a fitting place to say goodbye.
Murray isn’t the only one who looks set to retire, as Nadal previously confessed this would likely be his final season on the tour. The injury-prone Spaniard has played just one tournament so far in 2024 – Brisbane in the first week of the year – but despite his multiple physical setbacks, 64 per cent of Express Sport tennis fans still think that Murray will end his career first.
It remains to be seen when and where Murray decides to embark on his last dance but the Brit recently made it clear that his plans were set in stone. Speaking in Indian Wells last week, he explained: “I feel like no one is listening to me. I mean, yeah, I’m planning on finishing in the summer. I don’t know what more I’m supposed to say.
“I’ve been getting asked about it for, yeah, 18 months or so, and it’s obviously something I have thought about, but, you know, I hadn’t made a decision on. Once I have made the decision, I have expressed that, and no one is listening to it. So I don’t really understand why I keep getting asked, to be honest.”
