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.