“I feel good,” Andy Murray told Laura Robson in an interview with Discovery+. “Obviously I knew for a few months that this moment was coming, and whether we lost in the first round here or made it to the final, I was prepared for it. I’ve got a lot of time to do what I want to do now.”
“I’m not unhappy. I’m not upset about not playing tennis anymore. When I thought about this moment in recent years, I was sad and worried, but so far it’s been easier than I imagined, even though I know it’s only been one day.”
“It’s been an incredible week. I felt the same way after the game, and I was able to have a few words with Dan Evans about the week in general and what the Olympics mean to all of us. We had a great time and we have incredible memories. We could have easily been knocked out in the first round, but we had a great week. I wish I could have played better yesterday, but it was a great run.”
Murray revealed to his physio that he didn’t need an ice bath or massage after his defeat, as he found time to have a bit of fun on social media.
Never even liked tennis anyway.
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) August 1, 2024
Tributes for Murray have been pouring in. The LTA has announced that Centre Court at the Queen’s Club will be renamed the Andy Murray Arena for the annual ATP event, while his biggest rivals Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have all sent him video messages.
BORG’S MESSAGE MAKES MURRAY ULTRA PROUD
Murray said one message he received was particularly special to him: “I had a message from Björn Borg this morning, which is pretty cool. He’s obviously a legend in our sport and I spent some time with him during the 2022 Laver Cup,” he said. “He said, ‘Congratulations to one of the greatest in history. Good luck going forward.’”
Andy Murray has won three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals, the Davis Cup and 46 world titles, becoming world number one in 2016. In an era where Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have dominated the sport like no other trio has done before, Murray has been able to compete with them for several years and has even managed to beat them on several occasions.
“I am aware that the guys I was competing against had a much better career than me. But for a period, halfway through my career, I managed to fight them in the biggest tournaments in the world constantly. I managed to become world number one while all three of them were active and that means a lot to me. It was not easy to win the major titles while they were around me. So to have the recognition of Björn Borg is something special,” he assured.
“What was hard for me was to think that with what Rafa, Roger and Novak have accomplished, it’s all out of reach for any other tennis player. And everything I’ve accomplished seems tiny compared to all that. It can be very easy for people to forget that I’ve won several Grand Slams and the Olympics. I’m very proud of what I’ve won during that time and I’ve worked very hard for it, that’s all that matters to me. What anyone says about it doesn’t really matter.”
“I love tennis and I have infinite respect for the previous generations, for everything they have accomplished. To receive messages from someone like Björn Borg is really something cool.”
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