'Murray’s story hasn’t played out as a hero’s journey — nor does he seem to care much if it does,' observes CairaConner
He keeps going. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images The process of retirement from men’s professional tennis, particularly from the upper echelon of the ATP tour — where the bulk of prize money and endorsement deals and cultural relevance exist — usually begins the same way. The player in question, no longer the physical phenomenon he was at age 20, much less 30, is dogged by months, or even years, of suspicion about the quality of his movements on court.
In January of 2019, 12 months after his first hip surgery, Murray reemerged for the Australian Open and posted an image of himself propped next to the trophy given to the men’s champion each year, joking that as a “#5timeloser”, it was the closest he’d ever been to it. A few days later, Murray cried in a press conference, as he explained he’d retire after Wimbledon, in July, if he could even hold out that long. The tournament began, and Murray lost, crushingly, in the first round.
But the win was a mirage. Murray competed in doubles at Wimbledon, too. And there, he lost, twice — first in the men’s doubles in the second round, and then in mixed doubles in the third. He lost his first postoperative singles match in the first round of the Western & Southern Open. The world closed down in March of 2020, and when the courts reopened for the 2020 Western & Southern Open, Murray lost again, in the fourth round. He lost in the second round of the U.S.
It is hard to imagine any of the Big Three who have dominated tennis the last 15 years going out this way. Roger Federer doesn’t want to play longer than he can win — longer than he can, in effect, play like Roger Federer. Rafael Nadal, with his relentless competitive will, may not be suited for the stage of his career when his body doesn’t back him up. As for Djokovic, well, apart from the occasional blip, he rarely loses.
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