It is a testament to Andy Murray’s remarkable longevity that this summer will mark his fifth and final Olympic Games.
Having outlined himself as one of the event’s most impressive tennis players, with two singles gold medals to his name, he will retire a legend of the sport regardless of the trio he shared his generation with.
If anything, his ability to compete with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal arguably adds to his legacy even if it took away from his shine.
However, this three-way monopoly has been diminishing for some time now, with the former having retired in 2022 and the latter two slowly regressing of late too.
And so, with this power vacuum opening up, a few young superstars have stepped in.
Andy Murray shares photo with Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the Olympics
Coincidentally, Andy Murray sought to grab a photo with one of those players ahead of the Olympics, which kickstarts later this week.
Having only ever played Carlos Alcaraz twice, with both meetings back in 2021, the Scotsman has not actually faced the full force of this remarkable four-time Grand Slam champion.
But, watching from afar has clearly been enough for Murray to recognise his greatness.
He would outline this by simply taking to Instagram, sharing a snap of them both in their respective country’s garments and writing: ‘Managed to grab a photo with my favourite athlete’.
The 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon champion then also attached a story, jokingly suggesting: ‘Think this guy has a bright future in tennis’.
His upbeat attitude likely hides a great sadness though, after Andy Murray revealed that this Olympics would be his last-ever tennis tournament.
Who is the favourite to win the singles at the Paris Olympics?
Naturally, many will rush to the recent Roland Garros champions as the favourites to repeat their feat in Paris again this summer.
However, that may not necessarily be the case, particularly on the men’s side.
After all, it does feel like the women’s draw is already a foregone conclusion, given how supremely dominant Iga Swiatek was on her way to a fourth French Open title early last month.
It would take a miraculous collapse for her not to claim gold.
Meanwhile, for Alcaraz, he did receive a bout of fortune in the manner in which he went about his route to the final.
Despite suffering from an injury himself, Jannik Sinner was also supremely hampered in their semi-final, whilst an impressive Novak Djokovic had been performing admirably before tearing the meniscus in his knee and retiring from the competition.
These two will be renewed favourites alongside the Spaniard, whilst players like Alexander Zverev, the defending champion, and the 2008 gold medalist Rafael Nadal, will also have something to say about that too.
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