Andy Murray withdraws from Wimbledon singles tournament

He will play with his brother Jamie in the doubles, which starts on Wednesday. According to him, this will be the last Wimbledon tournament of his career.

The Scot has indicated he plans to retire after the Paris Olympics, which begin later this month.

“Unfortunately, despite Andy having worked incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, he has made the very difficult decision not to play in singles this year,” Murray’s management team said in a statement hours before he was due to play his first-round match. “As you can imagine, he is hugely disappointed but has confirmed that he will play in doubles with Jamie and he is looking forward to competing for the final time at Wimbledon.”

Murray underwent surgery on June 22 to remove a cyst that was pinching nerves affecting sensation in his right leg. He said at a news conference Sunday that he was improving each day but still did not have full feeling in that limb.

He ends his Wimbledon career having won the title there in 2013 and 2016, the former of which made him the first British man to win the singles crown at the hallowed tournament in 77 years. He also won the US Open in 2012.

A former world No. 1, he is also the only player with two consecutive gold medals in singles, winning them in 2012 in London at the All-England Club and in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Murray was the subject of media and fan attention — and pressure — that was particularly intense in the UK, but won fans worldwide with his sharp wit and sincerity.

His emotional playing style contrasted sharply with that of his peers: he lacked the elegance of Roger Federer, the bravado of Rafael Nadal and the calculating nature of Novak Djokovic. That made him recognizable to the spectators at home or in the stands at tournaments from Madrid to Melbourne.

He became a lot easier to cheer for after undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery in 2018 and a more serious hip resurfacing operation in 2019, which involved a metal hip implant. His improbable return has yielded one title, in 2019, but Murray has nevertheless proven to be an unwelcome opponent, pushing younger, healthier players to their limits in dramatic five-set battles at Grand Slams.

His final match at Wimbledon was a tough one as ever, as he forced fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas to five gruelling sets over two days on Centre Court before losing to the Greek 12 years his junior.