Anthony Joshua Sums Up Tennis Icon Andy Murray’s Legacy With 3-Worded Reply to Hilarious Retirement Post
In the era of the ‘Big 3’ of tennis, Andy Murray was the only player who stood out for challenging the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Now, the 37-year-old Brit has bid his goodbye to the courts, after having a glittering career ornamented by three grand slam major wins (2013 Wimbledon, 2016 Wimbledon, and 2012 US Open). ‘Muzza’ played his last game at the Paris Olympics 2024 in the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles alongside Dan Evans against American duo Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. Unfortunately, the British duo lost in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 as it marked the end of Sir Murray’s Olympic campaign and his tennis career.
The 2-time Wimbledon winner bid an emotional farewell as several eyes welled up in the stands at the Paris Olympics. Murray had announced that he would be retiring from the sport before the commencement of the Olympic games. “Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament. Competing for Great Britain have been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get to do it one final time!” the two-time Olympic Gold medalist wrote on X. The legendary British tennis player could not participate in the singles format of the tournament after having back surgery. Now that Murray has seen the last of his tennis game, he took to social media and posted a hilarious 5-word message: “Never even liked tennis anyway.” He even changed his X bio to – “I played tennis.”
Responding to the short and fun-filled retirement note on X, 2-time former British unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua paid tribute to Andy Murray and his illustrious career with a clever wordplay on tennis terminology. “Game. Set. Legend,” Joshua wrote on X.
Game.
Set.
Legend. https://t.co/tt8E0ZusG6— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) August 2, 2024
Notably, the British tennis player also won a knighthood in 2019 for his charity work and his outstanding contribution to the sport. Props have to be given for Andy’s determination to carry on playing tennis even after suffering so many injuries throughout his career. Murray dealt with a hip injury for several years and it almost forced him to take early retirement from the sport in 2019. This year, Murray pulled out from participating in men’s singles after he underwent surgery to remove a spinal cyst.
All in all, it was a sad moment for tennis fans worldwide as a glorious career came to an end. It caused such a ripple in the world of tennis that none other than the Swiss Maestro Roger Federer sent him a personal message.
Nothing but love and appreciation from rival Roger Federer!
In a video shared by the official Instagram page of the ATP Tour, the 20-time Grand Slam winner shared a heartfelt tribute to Murray’s amazing tennis career. “Hey Andy. Many Many congratulations my friend on an incredible career. Wimbledon champion, US Open Champion, Davis Cup Champion, Olympic champion, and many more things, you have achieved. So many Masters 1000s as well. World No. 1 and a Sir. So Sir Andy Murray, incredible effort on the most wonderful of careers,” Federer said.
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Furthermore, he commended Murray for continuing to play tennis even though his body was worn down by a long list of injuries in the latter stages of his career. “Great human being and doing it all with a massive family at the end, and a hip and a body that clearly wasn’t giving you what you wanted at the end which is a true inspiration to me and many of the players out there,” he further said.
Additionally, the 42-year-old former tennis player appreciated the battles they had over the years, regardless of the fact that he lost “so many times” against him. Although the losses were a “brutal” experience for Federer, he congratulated Murray for everything that he has achieved in his career. Notably, Federer and Murray clashed against each other 25 times on the ATP circuit. The Brit won 11 of those duels. The most significant of his wins came during the finals of the 2012 Olympics which left the Swiss legend heartbroken.
