Andy Murray said Thursday that he is withdrawing from the Olympic men’s singles competition and will focus on playing doubles with Dan Evans.
The 37-year-old Murray, who won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016, had previously announced that he will retire following the tennis competition at Roland-Garros in Paris. Men’s and women’s tennis will begin play on Saturday with the draw set for Thursday.
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“Obviously me and Dan have made the commitment to each other that [doubles] was what we were going to prioritize,” Murray told Sky Sports this week. “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 withdrew from the Wimbledon singles event last month and played only doubles with his brother, Jamie. He had a cyst removed from his spine on June 22 and did not feel fully recovered enough to take part in the singles bracket.
Over time, the cyst had grown and affected his coordination and caused pains in his back and right leg. The pain caused him to withdraw from the grass-court tournament at Queen’s Club in London on June 19. The cyst was removed three days later.
Murray made a comeback after hip-resurfacing surgery in 2019 and four years later feels now is the right time to say goodbye.
“I didn’t feel that way a few months ago when I thought this was when I was going to stop,” he said. “I didn’t really want to, whereas now I want to and I know that it’s the right time for me.”
