He may not be deemed worthy of a place in the artwork for this year’s Wimbledon but Sir Andy Murray’s place in the history of the tournament and the hearts of the British tennis faithful is undoubtedly assured.
A poster unveiled last month celebrating great players and rivalries from Wimbledon bizarrely excluded the two-time champion completely.
Andy Murray on women featured in the back of Wimbledon poster:
“It was a disaster, wasn’t it?.. Elsewhere are some of the greatest players of all time. For me, Alcaraz & Sinner are unbelievable players but it seems strange they were all sort of behind them”😂 pic.twitter.com/UwgPMRgPzI
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 29, 2023
In typical style Murray has played down his absence, joking “it was a disaster wasn’t it?’ but it’s unlikely to add any additional motivation as he returns to the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
He celebrated his 36th birthday in May and it is stating the obvious to say Murray has less tournaments ahead of than he has behind them.
But he seems quite relaxed about the prospect of retirement.
No lack of fight in the veteran Scot
On the eve of Battle of Brits at P&J Live in Aberdeen in December Murray admitted he was one serious injury away from retirement.
But there was no hyperbole attached to the comment. It was a statement of fact.
Murray has paid the price physically for his pursuit of tennis greatness.
In 2016 he was arguably the best player in the world.
A finalist at the Australian Open and French Open, he went on to win Wimbledon for the second time in his career before claiming Olympic gold in Rio.
But the demands took their toll.
Debilitating injuries robbed him of years on the court. It was so severe he needed not one but two hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019.
From world number one to outside the top 800 is quite the fall but history has shown Murray loves a challenge and he heads to Wimbledon having had a decent year.
He is now inside the top 50 again for starters.
Three wins and counting in 2023
18 YEARS LATER, Andy Murray is a champion on the Challenger Tour once again! 🏆
🇺🇸 2005 Aptos (hard)
🇺🇸 2005 Binghamton (hard)
🇫🇷 2023 Aix-en-Provence (clay) pic.twitter.com/pL9x3LUOyG— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) May 7, 2023
That rise has been built on a first tournament win on clay in seven years with his AIX Challenger win also doubling as his tournament win since 2019.
He followed that by going back-to-back in ATP Challenger events in June, winning the Surbiton Trophy for his first grass-court title in seven years followed by the Rothesay Open in Nottingham a week later.
The Nottingham display was particularly noteworthy given Murray did not drop a set on his way to winning the event.
Clearly, when it comes to grass, Murray still fancies his chances.
Murray feeling good ahead of Wimbledon return
A disappointing early exit at Queen’s Club last week perhaps dampened the enthusiasm slightly but Murray is clearly in good spirits as he returns to Wimbledon.
He is playing regularly, has been injury free for a good while now and the only issue he seems to be facing these days are father time.
The sands of time are draining on Murray’s outstanding career and thoughts of retirement and a post-playing career are creeping in.
He said: “I want to make the most of these last few tournaments. I obviously want to do as well as possible if I can but definitely there’s less expectations.
“I’m not going to play tennis forever. I have an idea about when I’d like to stop playing but it’s not definitive.
“I have an idea of roughly when I’ll stop playing but I’ll remain involved in tennis in some way.”
Murray, who begins his bid at Wimbledon with an all-British first round match against Ryan Peniston, may be keeping expectations low but do not for a second think the Scot is planning on going quietly into the night.
He is missing from the artwork but as far as the Wimbledon faithful is concerned the two-time former champions is still their poster boy.
