Andy Murray’s tennis career is officially over after his defeat in the Olympic doubles to Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul at the quarter-final stage.
Murray and partner, Dan Evans, were taken down by Fritz and Paul relatively comfortably, despite putting up a spirited fight in the second set.
Murray and Evans looked to be going out with a whimper as Paul served for the match at 5-2, but they forced their way back into the contest by taking the next two games in dramatic style.
However the British pair, who have already pulled off two famous comebacks, could not quite make it three in a row.
Fritz’s serve is one of the best in tennis right now, and the powerful American proved too hot to handle, as he saw the match out to reach the semi-final.
Murray’s retirement has felt as if it was coming for a while now, but this will be his very final match.
There were emotional scenes at the end as Fritz and Paul both applauded Murray off the court, while Evans watched on in tears.
Murray was also unable to stop himself from crying as he waved to the crowd in Paris for the very final time.
Carlos Alcaraz pays tribute to Andy Murray
Murray’s impact on the game of tennis has been remarkable, due to his never say die attitude and thrilling game style.
Queen’s have already renamed their main stadium court in tribute to him, to commemorate his five titles in London.
And arguably the biggest star in the modern day game, Carlos Alcaraz, was also quick to pay his respects to Murray after the match.
He wrote on Twitter, formerly X: “It was a privilege to share the court with you, Andy! Congratulations on a legendary career and for being an example to all. You will always have a fan here!”
Alcaraz was not the only current player to pay tribute to Murray very quickly on social media with Denis Shapovalov also posting.
He said: “A real honor to have shared the court with you @andy_murray!! A legend. Congrats on a great career!”
Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray: Head to head record
Alcaraz’s rise has coincided with Murray’s fall, so the pair didn’t meet each other too often.
The Wimbledon champions actually only played off against each other on two occasions, with both of them winning once.
Alcaraz won when the pair met most recently, with the Spaniard taking a straight sets victory in Vienna back in 2021.
Murray’s win over the current world number three actually came in the same year, but in much more dramatic circumstances, as he claimed a final set victory against the then teenaged Alcaraz at Indian Wells.
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