Andy Murray has endured one of the toughest years of his long and storied tennis career, in what was supposed to be a fairytale ending.
Having never set a date, but always eluded to this being his final season on tour, the legendary Scotsman has forged an unparalleled legacy both in and out of the sport of tennis.
However, injuries have not been kind to him, and just when it seemed like he might be recapturing his form, a fresh setback has more often than not occurred.
Many even doubted whether the Olympics would be a realistic goal for him, but, to the 37-year-old’s credit, he is officially in Paris and ready to compete for Great Britain.
Andy Murray begins Olympics preparation
The fears over his potential presence at these games came when Murray pulled out of Wimbledon, citing a back issue this time having already struggled with his ankle and his hip this year.
Playing the men’s doubles with his brother afforded him the emotional farewell he had so richly deserved on centre court, but already attention has had to turn elsewhere.
After all, the Olympics waits for nobody, and fortunately, Murray has done no waiting.
Already he has been pictured in training alongside Dan Evans, his doubles partner for this competition, with journalist Tumaini Carayol providing an update on how his mobility seemed after such a gruelling year.
He wrote: ‘Andy Murray is back on-court at Roland Garros for the Olympics, the final tournament of his career.
‘After hitting with Dan Evans on Chatrier, they’re doing some intense doubles drills with Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski. Murray definitely looks more mobile than two weeks ago.’
How many Olympic medals does Andy Murray have?
Whilst many will know about his two gold medals, Murray’s silver medal is a far less celebrated achievement.
However, few likely realise just how close he and Laura Robson were to striking gold for Great Britain, against the women’s singles world number one and men’s doubles world number one respectively.
Having only ever played two exhibition events together before the London 2012 Olympic Games, little was expected from Murray and his teenage partner.
But, what happened was magical, and almost typified the remarkable spirit shown by the host nation in one of their greatest-ever Olympics performances.
Beating the Czech Republic, an Australian pairing boasting Lleyton Hewitt, and the Germans, their run to the final was far from easy.
However, that last hurdle proved insurmountable, as Viktoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi blocked them from glory despite taking the opening set against them, denying Murray from what would now be his third Olympic gold medal.
He can take solace in the fact that he also won the singles that year, and remains the only man to defend his title, winning four years later, defeating Roger Federer in the first final and then Juan Martín del Potro in 2016.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
