Paris 2024 Olympics the 'dream retirement' event for Andy Murray says Mats Wilander - 'He has given Great Britain hope'

Published 21/03/2024 at 07:24 GMT

Andy Murray has hinted that his tennis career could soon be ending, but he is yet to confirm what his final event will be. Mats Wilander told Eurosport that the three-time major winner's "dream retirement" could be at the Paris Olympics, an event where he has won two gold medals to outperform even the Big Three. “I would like to see him retire with some kind of a medal," said Wilander.

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The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris would be a fitting place for Andy Murray to end his illustrious tennis career "with a British flag around him", according to Eurosport expert Mats Wilander.

Murray, 36, has fielded relentless questions about when he will call time on a career in which he has won three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and became world No. 1 in an era dominated by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

After a defeat in Doha in February, Murray admitted he is “likely not going to play past this summer.”

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The comment provoked speculation that the Scot could retire after one of the two events where he has enjoyed most success, Wimbledon or the Olympics, both of which he has won twice.

For Wilander, Paris 2024 would be the ideal place for Murray to say goodbye after giving so much to sport in Great Britain.

“I would like to see him retire with some kind of a medal at the Olympics in Paris with a British flag around him,” Wilander told Eurosport.

“We understand that Andy Murray is Andy Murray, but more than anything, he's Sir Andy Murray, and the size of his greatness in Great Britain is way, way beyond what we could comprehend in the rest of the world.

“He has given Great Britain hope they have a champion, which Great Britain doesn't have often. I think that it gave the whole sports environment in Great Britain hope that they can still produce world champions and Olympic champions.

“Plus, the Olympics are a category where Andy Murray is actually ahead of the 'Big Three'. He's won the Olympic gold in singles twice. He's won the silver medal in mixed at Wimbledon in 2012 with Laura Robson.

“His Olympic career is better than Roger, Rafa and Novak. So that's where I think he should end.”

Murray continued his excellent 2016 with gold at the Rio Olympics

Image credit: Getty Images

Murray has had to fight his way back to the top of the sport after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery 2018, but the only title he has won since then was in 2019 in Antwerp.

He won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the men’s singles at London 2012 and Rio 2016 but didn’t defend his title in Tokyo three years ago due to injury, although he did reach the men’s doubles quarter-finals alongside Joe Salisbury.

This season Murray has struggled, suffering early exits at the biggest events of the year so far, the Australian Open and Indian Wells.

He said in an interview this week that he would want to earn a spot in the Great Britain team for 2024 “by right” and only if he “felt like there was a chance of winning a medal.”

Murray’s rank of 62 is below Cameron Norrie (31), Jack Draper (42) and Dan Evans (43), while Salisbury and Neal Skupski are ranked sixth and 11th respectively for doubles.

But Wilander hopes to see Murray representing his country in front of a global audience one last time before he retires.

“For me to see Andy Murray wave goodbye is first of all going to be very sad,” Wilander said.

“And someone that's gone through so much pain and that has made it back nearly all the way deserves so much credit.

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“I think his dream retirement in my perfect world would be at the Olympics.

“I'd like to see him at the Olympics, because I think that we don't realise in the rest of the world what Andy Murray has done to sports in Great Britain, what Andy Murray has done to bring, even in a certain way, countries together with England and Scotland.

“Sometimes he says he's Scottish, sometimes he says he's British. He represents Great Britain.”

Paris 2024 runs from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, August 11.

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