Sport | Tennis After the tearful farewell came the comeback, Andy Murray returning through the gates of the All England Club on Friday. Wimbledon officials and the BBC produced a fitting on-court tribute to the two-time champion as he wiped away the tears — like so many others — on Centre Court. They knew he would be returning for the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu but it had been agreed that Thursday night would be the official hurrah.
On court, his great rivals and friends paid tribute, while Novak Djokovic, Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper stayed on admirably late after their matches to pay their respects. At points, it was almost too much for Murray as he paid tribute to his team, wife Kim and the couple’s children, two of whom were in his box, a nice surprise he only knew about when he cast his eyes towards the television as he was preparing to come on court for the doubles with brother Jamie. Tennis has said goodbye to him before, in 2019 at the Australian Open, only for him to undergo surgery and make a return.
He never quite achieved the same heady heights of the past — when he won two Wimbledon titles, the US Open, an Olympic gold and claimed the world No1 status — when he returned with that metal hip. But what he did have was fight and determination to rehabilitate and come back to do the thing he loves most beyond his family..
. simply playing tennis. “I certainly didn’t get everything right during my career,” he said, talking in more contemplative, .
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