A lot has changed for Andy Murray since he first caught the attention of the British public by reaching the third round of Wimbledon at the age of 18. 

Over the coming years, he has gone on to become the first British man in 77 years to win Wimbledon in 2013 before claiming the title for a second time three years later. In total, he has won 46 ATP titles, spent 41 weeks as world No.1 and earned more than $64M in prize money. He also played an instrumental role in his country winning the Davis Cup in 2015.

However, the second half of Murray’s career has been dodged by injury setbacks with the most notable problem being his hip, which almost made him retire from the sport. Instead, he defied the odds by undergoing resurfacing surgery that involved inserting a metal rod into his hip joint. Since the procedure, his performance on the Tour has been full of mixed emotions amid other physical issues also arising. 

It is perhaps fitting that Murray’s 2024 farewell sees him fighting against the odds once again as he bids to end his career on his terms. Heading into his final Wimbledon appearance, he has undergone surgery on his back due to a cyst in the region. 

“I might get the exact terminology wrong, but I had a decompression of spinal stenosis in my back, which is not just an issue with the cyst as such, but the cyst is what was causing the issues with my leg, pressing on the nerve,” Murray told reporters on Sunday.
“The cyst got removed. I still have stitches in my back now. Yeah, the actual area where I had the operation is not sore. It’s the leg and the function of my leg that will determine whether or not I’m able to play.”

If he is fit, Murray’s final singles campaign at The All England Club will begin with a showdown against Tomas Machac. A talented 23-year-old Czech who he narrowly lost to in Miami earlier this season. It was during that clash that the Brit suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him from action for almost two months.

“It’s getting better every single day. I want to give it every single chance that I can to get there.” He said of his latest physical woe.
“I’m going to play another set again tomorrow. I’m doing some physical testing in the morning to see sort of how far off I am from a physical perspective. Then I will probably make a decision tomorrow evening after that.”

If the worst case were to occur for Murray, he still has the chance of playing at Wimbledon in the doubles draw. He has been granted a wild card and for the first time in his career he will be playing alongside his brother Jamie. 

As for what the 37-year-old hopes to get out of this year’s draw, it is the chance to play at SW19 for the final time.

“This is a place that’s been really good to me over the years,” Murray reflected.
“Everyone has their idea of how they want to finish their career, how they would want it to go. My idea of that would see that happening at Wimbledon. Obviously I have the Olympics coming up. But I would love the opportunity to play here one more time.”
“That’s what I’m looking to get out of it. Whether afterwards I feel like that’s the right thing to do, it was the right thing to do or not, I don’t know. But right now I feel like I want that opportunity.”

Murray has played 74 matches at Wimbledon, winning 61 of them. 

Martina Navratilova says she has been ‘jettisoned’ by some LGBT groups over her stance on transgender athletes playing in women’s sports but has no plans to back down. 

The 18-time Grand Slam champion has become one of the most vocal critics of moves to allow those who have transitioned from male to female to participate in women’s sports, even though this is the gender they identify with. Navratilova is among those who argue that trans athletes have an unfair advantage due to their genetic makeup. However, it is a complex issue with some studies stating the opposite. One study funded by the International Olympic Committee concluded that those who went through gender-affirming hormone therapy could be at a disadvantage. 

To make the debate more confusing, there is no set rule on the matter with various governing bodies within sport having their own policies. Earlier this year, the BBC reported that more than 100 ‘elite British sportswomen’ are uncomfortable with trans women competing in female categories. Reigniting the debate over equality and fairness in the sport. 

“I’ve been speaking my mind for a long time. I’m not going to change that,” Navratilova told reporters at Wimbledon on Sunday.
“It’s been pretty rough. But I know I’m on the right side of history. I’m right on most people’s opinion about women’s sex-based spaces, and especially sports. They need to stay female.
“But the politics have been kind of crazy about that. It’s become very political when it shouldn’t be when it comes to women’s rights. We seem to put the trans rights ahead of women’s rights, particularly for males that identify as women. Women are asked to be kind and be inclusive, yet by including transgender-identified males in women’s sports, you’re excluding women.”

Navratilova is an instrumental figure in the world of LGBT sports after being one of the first athletes to come out as gay in the early 1980s. Due to attitudes at the time, she lost many sponsors which she estimates to have been worth in the ‘millions.’ Furthermore, three of the Grand Slam titles she won whilst being coached by Renee Richards who is transgender. 

However, Navratilova admits she has a mixed relationship with some members of her community due to her views. 

“I went to a drag queen show in Miami a couple of months ago. I was wondering how it would be. Everybody just couldn’t have been nicer, including the drag queens, including everybody else there.” She said.
“I felt very loved by the community as a whole, but you wouldn’t think that when you hear from some of those spokespeople at these groups.
“I’m good where I am and I’ll keep fighting the fight.”

There are currently no transgender tennis players with an official WTA ranking. According to the ITF rulebook, transgender athletes are eligible to play in women’s events if they provide ‘satisfactory’ evidence about their transition and the concentration of testosterone in their serum has been less than 5 nmol/L1 continuously for at least 12 months. The person must also show they are willing to maintain their testosterone within this range.

On the 50th anniversary of Chris Evert’s maiden Wimbledon win, she returns to the Grand Slam in the middle of a new documentary being produced about her and fellow rival Martina Navratilova. 

Evert, who won three out of her 18 major titles at the All England Club, remembers her 1974 triumph as if it was yesterday. Speaking to the media on Sunday afternoon, she detailed her roller-coaster journey to the title and the obstacles she faced. How she managed to beat Lesley Hunt in her opening match with the help of some advice from her former partner, Jimmy Connors, who told her to go to the net. Although she believes her maiden triumph was one she was lucky to win. 

“I remember that year I should never have won Wimbledon because I was in the same tournament as Billie Jean King, who I hadn’t beaten on grass yet, and Evonne Goolagong, who had my number on grass,” Evert said during a special Wimbledon press conference. 
“Martina and I often talk about the Wimbledons you should have won. That was one that I had no right winning.”

The American’s career was shaped by her incredible rivalry with nine-time Wimbledon champion Navratilova, who she lost to in five finals. They locked horns 80 times in the sport, with 60 of those meetings being in tournament finals. Over the year’s a strong bold formed between the two, who at one stage were also a formidable doubles pairing. 

“We really got close emotionally. Then Martina started beating me. I felt like, Okay, she’s getting too close, she knows my emotions, she knows my game too well.” She said. 
“I had to tell her, I can’t play doubles with you because I feel like it’s affecting my singles.
“I always found it hard to play a match against somebody that I cared about, especially like my sister Jeanne. I had to play against her three times, and it was awful.”

The two tennis greats continue to be there for each other until this day, even when tragedy occurs. At the same time, both women were diagnosed with cancer but have since beaten the disease. Evert has had ovarian cancer, whilst Navratilova also had the disease in her breasts and throat.

“This cancer brought us much closer together, which is kind of ironic that something like that would be kind of a blessing in a way, in many ways, and one of those ways that it brought us closer together,” Evert commented. 

Even now the duo remain highly influential in the world of tennis with each of them turning to broadcasting. Unlike others in the sport, they don’t shy away from speaking out about social issues such as the upcoming US elections or Navratilova’s view on transgender athletes. Earlier this year they co-wrote an article opposing the stage of the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia due to its human rights record. 

As for their legacy in the sport, like on the court Navratilova believes there is always room for improvement in women’s tennis. 

“It’s thrilling to see the attention and the money that everybody is making now. It could be better. At least we have equal prize money at all the majors.” She said. 
“I think the women’s tennis was kind of at the forefront of women realizing they can ask for more and feel that they’re worth it.”

It is yet to be confirmed when the upcoming documentary about Evert and Navratilova will be released. It is being produced by EverWonder Studio and Meadowlark Media with their focus being on a series of topics. One of which is to encourage more people to undergo medical checks following their experiences.

“That’s part of the documentary. To help people take care of themselves and to motivate people to maybe do a little bit more with themselves.” Navratilova concludes.