Andy Murray brought to tears by emotional ceremony as Wimbledon farewell begins with doubles defeat

CNN
 — 

It was an emotional night for three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray on Thursday, as the 37-year-old’s Wimbledon farewell began with doubles defeat.

Murray will retire from the sport this season and is playing for the last time at Wimbledon, a place which has been home to some of his most memorable career highlights.

Following a doubles defeat alongside his brother Jamie on Thursday, Murray was moved to tears after a short ceremony on Centre Court in which a montage of his career played out on big screens.

“It is hard because I would love to keep playing, but I can’t. Physically, it’s just too tough now,” Murray said in his interview on court, after watching the video.

“I want to play forever, I love the sport. It’s given me so much, taught me loads of lessons over the years that I can use in the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop, so it is hard.”

Grand slam champions Novak Djokovic, Iga Świątek, Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe were just some of the famous faces in attendance for the short ceremony, and they joined thousands of fans in giving Murray a standing ovation.

Murray’s family, including his two young daughters, also watched on from the stands.

“Mum and dad were amazing support when we were little in allowing us to pursue our dreams […] Thank you, mum and dad,” a tearful Murray said, before speaking about his wife, Kim.

“She has been an amazing support to me, to my whole family, she is the best mum. Unfortunately, in a couple of months, she’s going to have to see me every day […] I’m looking forward to the rest of our lives.”

Murray will likely be back on Centre Court on Saturday after signing up to play mixed doubles with fellow Brit Emma Raducanu.

Over the years, the crowds at Wimbledon have fallen in love with Murray.

He made his tournament debut in 2005 as a teenager and eventually developed into one of the best players in the world, in an era where Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic were so dominant.

Murray made his first Wimbledon singles final in 2012 where he lost to Federer – a defeat which moved the British star to tears and somewhat changed the public’s perception of him.

A month later, Murray was back on the same court to win a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The victory kickstarted a successful year for Murray where he won the US Open – his first grand slam title.

He then returned to Wimbledon in 2013 where he ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion – an incredible moment now etched into the country’s history.

In 2016, Murray won his second Wimbledon title – a victory which he says was his favorite.

Injuries, though, have played a major role in recent seasons and Murray has struggled to be competitive.

He had hoped to play singles in what would be his last Wimbledon this year but was unable to recover from back surgery last month.

He chose instead to play doubles – a shorter format – with his brother Jamie, but the pair were beaten in straight sets – 7-6(8-6) 6-4 – by John Peers and Rinky Hijikata on Thursday.