Andy Murray will go down in history as one of the greatest tennis players ever, with the Scot hanging up his racket very soon.
The 37-year-old star has not offered an official date as to when he will retire, but it is expected later this year.
He was all set for one final appearance at Wimbledon, with tournament organisers readying a tribute for the two-time champion.
But fans have been massively heartbroken by Murray’s decision to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.
His opening round singles clash with Tomas Machac has since been cancelled, although hope remains that the Scot can still play in the doubles tournament.
John Lloyd left shocked by Andy Murray news at Wimbledon
Despite his injury, Murray plans to line out alongside his brother Jamie this week, with their mother Judy overjoyed at that partnership.
But it is Andy’s absence from the singles competition that will dominate the headlines for some time, with former GB Davis Cup captain John Lloyd sharing his thoughts on the decision.
“It’s something I wasn’t hoping to hear, I saw Andy Murray practising out here a few days ago and he was moving okay,” Lloyd said on BBC TV.
“I thought there was a chance and I know he would want to do it as much as he could. He would have loved to give the British fans another look at him.
“For him to play on here on Centre Court one more time would have been great. Hopefully, that will happen.
“For Andy Murray, he’s not going to go out on to the court unless he thinks he can win the match. He would have tried everything possible.
“The courage that Murray had to win, you can’t teach that. When someone has got the inner fire like he has, the will to win that he had, never gave it less than 100%.
“He grew with the pressure that was on him by the British public and he knew what he had to do, he knew how to achieve it and he was single-minded with it. We’re going to miss him big time.
“The greatest athlete in my opinion in British sport ever. It’s going to be very sad not to see him out here, I can’t believe it to be honest.”
Will Andy Murray get a fitting Wimbledon farewell?
Murray has enjoyed superb success at the competition, having lifted the iconic Wimbledon trophy in 2013 and 2016.
He also clinched a men’s singles gold medal at the 2012 Olympics on the courts, a competition in which he represented Great Britain with his brother as doubles partners.
The duo crashed out in the first round, and will therefore be hoping to last longer at the All England Club this time around, having never played together at Wimbledon.
The Murray brothers are scheduled to take on Australian duo John Peers and Rinky Hijikata in the opening round on Wednesday.
But there is now a huge grey cloud hanging over Andy and his participation in that match following his withdrawal from the singles.
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