To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more.
Today we look back at some of the biggest names who called time on their playing careers this year. Andy Murray leads Part 1 of this story, with Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal to feature in Part 2 on Sunday.
Andy Murray
The Scot bowed out in the most Murray-esque manner imaginable. Playing doubles at the Paris Olympics, the two-time singles gold medalist teamed with Daniel Evans. The pair won its first match against Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori by saving five consecutive match points from a 4/9 deficit in the Match Tie-break to snatch victory.
Murray and Evans were not done with their dramatic comebacks. They extended the former World No. 1 Murray’s career further by surviving two match points against Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in the second round before losing in the quarter-finals. After both wins, Murray celebrated as though he had just won the gold medal, final demonstrations of just how much the game always meant to the 46-time tour-level champion.
Murray spent 41 weeks as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, claimed three major titles and tallied 739 singles wins in his laudable career. One key turning point came in 2012, when he captured the Olympic gold medal on the Wimbledon lawns.
Later that summer he captured his first major title, the 2012 US Open, by defeating Novak Djokovic in a five-set final. The match lasted four hours, 54 minutes – tied for the second-longest US Open final in history.
The next year Murray ended Great Britain’s 77-year wait for a home men’s singles champion at Wimbledon. This was the day that the BBC said “turned Murray into a Wimbledon champion and a national treasure”. Winning Wimbledon was not the only thing Murray accomplished for Great Britain. In 2015, he propelled the British team to its first Davis Cup victory since 1936.
The 37-year-old will be remembered for a career full of historic achievements, which he accomplished against some of the best players in the history of tennis.
“I gave as much as I could to the career,” Murray said at the Paris Olympics. “There are obviously things that I look back on and wish that I could have done differently, but it’s been a tough time to win major titles in the sport with the players that were ahead of me. I’m proud of my achievements, my efforts and I’m looking forward to prolonged rest now.” Read Murray Longform Tribute.
