Andy Murray retired from tennis following his defeat at the Paris Olympics earlier this year.
The British star enjoyed a stellar career on the ATP Tour, winning three Grand Slam titles, the ATP Finals, and reaching world number one.
Murray retired from tennis earlier this year, however, after struggling with physical problems for over five years.
He did so after defeat to Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the Olympic doubles event alongside fellow Brit and friend Dan Evans.
Questions had been asked as to what the 37-year-old would do following retirement, before the recent news broke that Murray will coach Novak Djokovic in 2025.
Ahead of their partnership getting underway, one former ATP star has looked back upon the latter stages of Murray’s tennis career.
Jack Sock says it was ‘sad to watch’ Andy Murray during the latter stages of his tennis career
Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, former world number seven Jack Sock revealed why he decided to retire from tennis last year.
“I stopped fairly early,” he said.
“It wasn’t something I was interested in doing any more.”
Sock went on to explain how Murray’s late career struggles prompted him to hang up his racket when he did.
“I think the [Andy] Murray thing, I think it was awesome for him,” he said.
“But my hot take was that it was also kind of sad to watch at times.
“Him going out there, hobbling around and it looks like he is trying so hard to be out there but it’s not really there any more.
“It’s one of those where I didn’t want to get to a point where you are almost forcing yourself back out on the court.
“It is a little bit sad to watch would be my weird take or my hot take but he is also obsessed with it and loves it and wants to do it, and he should do it.”
How did Andy Murray perform after his hip surgery in 2019?
Prior to the 2019 Australian Open, Murray announced that he could potentially retire from tennis as his hip pain had become too much to deal with.
Later that month, having been defeated in the first round in Melbourne, Murray underwent a hip resurfacing surgery that saw him return to the tour in June.
The Brit claimed he was ‘pain free’, but never quite returned to the form that saw him win three Grand Slam titles and reach world number one earlier in his career.
| Year | Match wins | Best Grand Slam performance | Best ATP performance | Year-end ranking |
| 2019 | 11 | – | W – Antwerp | 125 |
| 2020 | 3 | 2R – US Open | R16 – Cincinnati | 122 |
| 2021 | 15 | 3R – Wimbledon | QF – Stockholm, Metz | 134 |
| 2022 | 26 | 3R – US Open | F – Sydney, Stuttgart | 49 |
| 2023 | 16 | 3R – Australian Open | F – Doha | 42 |
| 2024 | 6 | 1R – Australian Open, French Open | R16 – Queens, Dubai | – |
Murray’s form following the surgery in 2019 paled in comparison to what he achieved during his prime years in the sport.
The 37-year-old won just 77 matches following the surgery, one less than the 78 he won during his career-best year in 2016.
His finest performance came at the Antwerp Open in 2019, as he took down fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka to win his only title, post-hip operation.
Murray came from a set down to clinch the title against his Swiss rival, as he and the crowd were overcome by emotion after the match.
The Brit continued to give it his all during his last few years on the tour, but his body just couldn’t keep up anymore.
Now retired from the sport, Murray will continue his search for tennis success alongside Djokovic as his coach.
Djokovic and Murray will begin their 2025 season at the Brisbane International which begins on December 30.
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