Andy Murray has announced his withdrawal from the Olympic men’s singles competition to focus on playing doubles with Dan Evans. The 37-year-old, who has won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016, had previously revealed his plans to retire following the tennis competition at Roland-Garros in Paris. Men’s and women’s tennis matches will commence on Saturday, with the draw taking place on Thursday.
In a statement to Sky Sports this week, Murray explained, “Obviously me and Dan have made the commitment to each other that [doubles] was what we were going to prioritize. That gives the team and us the best opportunity to get a medal, realistically. My back is still not perfect and the potential of playing two matches in a day is maybe not the best.”
Murray had withdrawn from the Wimbledon singles event last month and opted to play only doubles with his brother, Jamie. Following the removal of a cyst from his spine on June 22, he did not feel fully recovered enough to participate in the singles competition.
Over time, the growing cyst had affected his coordination, causing pains in his back and right leg. These issues led to his withdrawal from the grass-court tournament at Queen’s Club in London on June 19, with the cyst being removed three days later.
After making a successful comeback from hip-resurfacing surgery in 2019, Murray now feels that the time is right to bid farewell to professional tennis.
“I didn’t feel that way a few months ago when I thought this was when I was going to stop,” he admitted. “I didn’t really want to, whereas now I want to and I know that it’s the right time for me.”