"I was very worried about my life after tennis," admits Murray
Andy Murray managed to pick up some crumbs left by the Big 3. The Scotsman, who reached the world number one ranking in 2016, has an immense record with three Grand Slams, fourteen Masters 1000 titles, two Olympic gold medals in singles, a Davis Cup, and a title at the ATP Finals.
In total, Murray won 46 titles on the main tour during his career and earned the respect of his biggest rivals (the Big 3 as well as Wawrinka, to name just a few).
"Being ready to retire helped me"
Unfortunately for him, the end of his career was marred by injuries, particularly the hip injury that occurred as early as 2017 when he was at his peak. After first considering retirement in 2019, he ultimately continued until the Paris Olympics in 2024. In an interview, he reflected on his approach to the end of his career and is starting to enjoy his new activities.
"Being ready to retire helped me. I could no longer play at the level I wanted from a physical standpoint, my body was telling me it was time to stop. I felt I didn't have much left to give. Ten days before ending my career, I looked back and said to myself: 'Wow! I can't believe I accomplished all that.'
When I played my first Wimbledon final, I didn't care about winning or losing. I just wanted to play. But when you get there, the pressure is enormous. If you lose a final, you ask yourself a lot of questions: 'Why didn't I win? Am I mentally strong enough? Is my tennis good enough?'.
You always feel the pressure to give your best. It's one of the most beautiful but also one of the most difficult things in sports. I was very worried about my life after tennis, but now that I'm there... I like it. At the beginning of my career, when I tried to be myself, some things I said were amplified and sparked controversy.
It was exhausting. I lost confidence in the media and ended up isolating myself. Today, however, the context is different," Murray stated recently on The Romesh Ranganathan Show podcast.
