Andy Murray has retired from tennis as his Olympics ends and it begs the question… is he the greatest ever British sportsman?
Murray has decided he cannot go on any longer with injuries finally catching up with him. The fact he played in 2024 is a minor miracle itself after having career saving hip surgery in 2019.
The 37-year-old was given an emotional farewell at Wimbledon as he played alongside his brother Jamie.
His last ever event was at the Olympics, where he is a two-time singles gold medal winner, and it was one last fitting swansong.
He wrote on social media that he will be retiring, finally confirming the news that was long suspected.
Murray appeared in the doubles alongside Dan Evans at the pair provided plenty of entertainment.
There were plenty of cheers and tears as they battled through their first two rounds, winning in final set tiebreaks.
But their quarter-final showdown against American pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul proved to be a bridge too far with Murray and Evans going down to a 6-2 6-4 defeat at Roland Garros.
An emotional Murray was given a standing ovation by fans inside Court Suzanne Lenglen, while Evans and opponents Fritz and Paul applauded the three-time Grand Slam winner off.
Evans joined talkSPORT shortly before the Olympics and said: ”I don’t think any of us thought he would actually say the words or write the words that this was going to be his last tournament.
“I was actually in the car with him driving into practice and I saw the post.
“It’s a bit sad, really, but he’s happy with his decision and it’s time for a new chapter of his life and to close this one.”
The achievements on the tennis court have been staggering and ends with three Grand Slam titles and three Olympic medals (two golds and one silver).
He was world no.1 for 41 weeks in an era that was dominated by the three greatest male players of all time – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Murray also made a further eight Grand Slam finals and led Great Britain to Davis Cup glory in 2015.
Off the court, he has been a phenomenal ambassador for the sport and a huge advocate for women’s rights both inside and outside tennis.
The debate will now go on about whether Murray is Britain’s greatest ever sportsperson and a number of talkSPORT’s pundits and famous sports stars have had their say.
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Andy Murray’s career in numbers
41 – the number of weeks he spent on top of the rankings.
3 – grand slam titles.
77 – his 2013 title made him the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title for 77 years, since Fred Perry in 1936.
11 – grand slam finals.
46 – career singles titles.
3 – doubles titles.
9 – singles titles in 2016, including five in a row to end the season as world number one.
2 – Olympic singles gold medals, in addition to a mixed doubles silver with Laura Robson.
739 – tour-level matches won.
64,677,584 – career prize money, in US dollars.
29 – combined wins against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Tim Henman
The former British number one admitted he was a little biased with his pick and named Murray as the greatest British sportsman.
He told talkSPORT: “I’ll go Andy Murray. I think I’m a little bit biased, but I think it’s very difficult to because I don’t think you’re comparing like with like with some of our greatest Olympians.
“But I think in an individual global sport and you think of the competition that Murray’s been up against, it’s phenomenal how well he’s done in an era of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
“You could look back and say Faldo won six majors. That shouldn’t be overlooked. So look, I think it’s virtually impossible to narrow it down to one.
“In my mind, Andy Murray’s right up there in that conversation.”
Alan Brazil
talkSPORT host Brazil argued that Britain’s greatest ever sportsman should come from football, because that is the nation’s top sport. He was, though, keen to point out he had nothing against Murray who thinks he has been slagged off one too many times by the Breakfast host.
He said: “Football for me is the number one sport right, it always will be. You’re talking about George Best and I’ve always been a Kenny Dalglish fan.
“It depends what era you are, look Andy what he’s done, and Henman was great as well but I think Andy surpassed him.
“Two Wimbledons and one US Open, Andy Murray is unlucky because of some of the players he had to take on, that era was really really tough for him.”
Alex Crook
talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook made a case for Murray being the greatest Britain has ever seen.
“When you look at the pressure that he was under to end that long drought without a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon,” Crook said.
“I was there actually in 2012 when he won Olympic gold. It was a really emotional occasion because he just lost the Wimbledon final.
“That really kicked him on. He was able to then win the US Open a few months later. He did then come back and win at Wimbledon and again, that was a really emotional moment as well.
“And you know what? I think he’s got a better personality than a lot of people think because he’s got this dry sense of humour.
“There was a stage, of course, when he was claiming to be Scottish and not British, but I think that was tongue in cheek and probably a few people took it too personally.
“I think he’s been a brilliant ambassador for the sport. He’s been a brilliant ambassador for British sport in general.”
Rory Jennings
talkSPORT host Jennings named several other people who he thinks are ahead of Murray as greatest British sportsman.
On Murray, he said: “Greatest British athlete of all time? Oh no, I don’t put him in that conversation at all. He’s a fantastic athlete, no doubt. Elite level talent, elite level athleticism, mindset, unbelievable and achieved the greatest, he reached the zenith of his sport.
“But the greatest of all time? No, I don’t put him anywhere near that, I don’t think he’s in that conversation at all to be totally frank.
“People that are better than him in an individual solo sport? Certainly Ronnie O’Sullivan and then I’d argue Phil Taylor.”
However, there was one name that he has put at the top of the list.
Jennings added: “For me, the best sporting individual from this country by considerable distance, I think the best sportsman this country has ever produced, I believe it to be Bobby Charlton.
“What Bobby Charlton did for Manchester United, it actually blows my mind. He was on the plane, he was in the Munich air disaster and ten years later won the European Cup for Manchester United. Then won the World Cup for England. Then had a massive impact on reforming and rebuilding Manchester United.”
The names of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua were put to him, and he added: “Joshua would be more impactful than Tyson Fury. He captivates people more, he’s more box office.”
Hugh Woozencroft
Responding to Jennings, his co-host argued that Murray’s legacy will be greater than that of a footballer.
“I think the legacy of someone like Andy Murray will be greater. Will have already been greater,” Woozencroft said.
“We’re talking about football, which is by far the most popular sport.
“We can already see with tennis that the interest has waned when Andy’s powers have waned. We were gripped for a period there.
“I’m not saying that Wimbledon isn’t very popular and tennis isn’t very, very popular. But we know what it was like when Tim Henman had a shout of getting far in Wimbledon, we went crazy for the tennis once again.
“Andy Murray having a genuine chance of winning the thing for those years, those matches, those years. We all were sucked into Wimbledon year after year. I don’t know many extra people gravitated to football because of a particular player.”
Darragh MacAntony
The Peterborough United owner went for a different name, the seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
He told talkSPORT: “Based on what he’s done and his background and everything else, and again, I don’t like him as a character, but as a sportsperson and what he’s done, Lewis Hamilton.
“I think what he’s done in Formula 1, he’s probably for me statistically the greatest sportsman of all time in Great Britain. And again, not a great fan of him, but as a sportsperson, nailed on.”
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News Summary:
- Andy Murray ends glittering career at Olympics as one of Britain’s greatest sportsman along with Lewis Hamilton and Ronnie O’Sullivan
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.