Although it seemed like it would never happen, it will happen in the upcoming week as Andy Murray bids farewell to tennis after a very successful career.
The Brit is one of the best players in the sport's history because he created a fantastic legacy at a time when it was really challenging to do that. His time came when the Big Three dominated, and he was still able to create a great legacy, which speaks to how great he was.
Being able to win was a huge boost to him and many other players who competed at the time. The past few years have been mostly overshadowed by his physical problems, and it was a real shame for him and his fans.
He has always been prone to injuries but was able to keep himself upright through much of his career. Things went off the rails after his hip injury, which required hip replacement surgery, which almost ended his career on the spot.
Murray didn't give up and found his way back to tennis, even though he knew that he was likely never going to play as well again. It's been a few years since then, and Murray gave his fans plenty of iconic moments, but he can't anymore.
His body cannot handle the demands of professional sports anymore, and a couple of injuries this year have confirmed it. He had an emotional goodbye at Wimbledon, but his final event will be the Olympics.
It's a very fitting place for his tennis goodbye as he won two gold medals at the event, and he spoke about his decision with Sky Sports in Paris.
"There is a number of reasons for that. One is that physically my body is ready to stop. Mentally I'm ready to finish playing, you know the Olympics is also an event that is really special to me. I've loved being part of this team over the last 4 or 5 Olympic Games. I'm happy that I get to finish playing here."
The retirement question has been looming for a while, and he even considered it last year. He also explained that he talked about it with his family and team last year and this year, but the injuries ultimately confirmed the decision for him.
"I've had the conversation about when I would finish with my family and with my team. Spoke to them about it last year and earlier this year. I was still unsure about it. I felt like I would finish this summer, whether that be after Wimbledon or after the Olympics."
"Yeah, it just felt like it was the right time. I got the injury to my ankle in March. Got the back injury in Queen's and had to have the operation. Although I was unsure whether I wanted the stop I knew after the surgery that it is the right time. My body has been through a lot. Body is ready, mind is ready and I'm happy about it."
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