Team GB’s tennis players have called on Andy Murray to remain in the sport in a coaching or mentoring capacity. Murray’s singles career came to an end on Thursday when he withdrew from the Olympic draw to focus on the doubles, where he will compete alongside Dan Evans. When the pair finish in Paris, Murray will retire from playing altogether.
“I’ve taken the decision to withdraw from the singles to concentrate on the doubles with Dan,” Murray said in a statement. “Our practice has been great and we’re playing well together. Really looking forward to getting started and representing GB one more time.” The Scot is managing his workload after undergoing spinal surgery five weeks ago because of a cyst.
With Murray to imminently step away from the court, it is natural to ask what comes next. Those competing alongside the three-time grand slam winner under Team GB’s flag think it inconceivable that he will depart the tennis scene altogether.
“There are so many options,” Joe Salisbury, the doubles specialist, said. “He could possibly go into coaching, I feel that’s the sort of thing that he would like to get stuck into.
“He is very competitive and will want to be part of something he can have a big hand in. He will want to keep that competitive edge. He said he didn’t really enjoy commentary or punditry in the past because he wasn’t part of the sport, wasn’t involved. Whether it is mentoring players, being an individual coach or the Davis Cup captain, everybody would love to see that. I think he would enjoy staying in the sport and making an impact.”
Katie Boulter, Britain’s top-ranked female player, agreed. “He has been such an asset to British tennis, I don’t doubt for a second he is going to find a way to stay here,” she said. “In some format, he is going to be around. I know he is not going to completely disappear off this planet. I am sure of it. He has such a passion for the game, he speaks so fondly of it. I cannot see him letting it go.”
Neal Skupski, who will partner Salisbury, only half-joked that Murray will likely reach a scratch handicap at golf very quickly if he turns more attention to the fairways during retirement. “He has inspired a lot of kids to pick up rackets and I’m sure he will still be in the sport,” Skupski said. “He just has that drive; whatever he turns his hand to, he wants to be the best at it. Hopefully Andy can help the younger ones and make them reach their potential. Andy got the most out of his career, from the surgeries to playing against probably the three best of all time. He is leaving a massive legacy behind.”
Heather Watson, who will play in the women’s doubles with Boulter and the mixed doubles with Salisbury, reported Murray as “his usual, laidback self” within Team GB’s Olympic camp. “I think it will maybe hit him and everyone when his last match is played,” she added. “He is so supportive of all the British players. It would be a shame if he wasn’t to continue in the sport because I feel he has so much to offer.”
In the singles draw now minus Murray, the top seed Novak Djokovic could meet Rafael Nadal in a blockbuster second-round match. Djokovic faces Australia’s Matthew Ebden while Nadal will play Marton Fucsovics of Hungary. If both win, they will play each other for the 60th time next week.
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With the event being held at Roland Garros, Nadal’s placement in the draw was always going to be significant. The 14-time French Open champion is unseeded as he continues his comeback after being out for a year after hip surgery. Nadal and Djokovic have one of the great rivalries in sporting history, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head 30-29 after a record 59 meetings. They have faced each other 10 times at Roland Garros but never before the quarter-final stage.
In the doubles draw, Murray and Evans will face Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel in the first round while the superstar pairing of Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will face Máximo Gonzalez and Andrés Molteni of Argentina. Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the top seed in the women’s draw, takes on Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu.