Andy Murray's appearance in the Wimbledon men's doubles this afternoon marks the beginning of the end of one of the UK's greatest sporting careers.
Murray's impending retirement leaves a feeling of "profound sadness", said Oliver Brown in The Telegraph, and a "crater" to fill in British tennis.
'Grind and graft' The Scottish player has claimed three Grand Slam titles, including two at Wimbledon, and a stint as world No.1, as part of a generation of "all-time greats", said Tumaini Carayol in The Guardian. Achieving these victories "usually meant" beating two of the formidable trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at each tournament, and "absorbing many defeats in the process".
But that is why Murray "deserves every accolade and more", said Brown. While Federer "made tennis look blissfully easy", Murray "reminded everyone that it was hard" and showed "grind" and "graft" in overcoming the odds to win.
The 37-year-old has remained "ever the competitor" in his long battle against injury, having been "struck down in his prime", said Andy Sims in The Independent. Now, Murray and the British public have been "robbed" of the "chance of a proper send-off", after a back injury forced him to withdraw from the Wimbledon's men's singles, bringing an "outstanding era in British sport to a sad end".
'Will never be another' The debate over who is the "greatest British sportsperson of all time" is "skewed by personal preference", said Kevin Palmer at Tennis365, but Murray has achieved so much in a "truly global" sport.
Ending Britain's "77-year wait for a homegrown male champion" at Wimbledon in 2013 is surely enough to put Murray "top of that list", said the Irish Independent. His win marked a turning point in what had "long since become a national embarrassment".
But more than his victories, it is the "perseverance" and "determination" that Murray has shown throughout his career that make him Britain's greatest sportsperson, said Martin Samuel in The Times. While "no doubt, his achievements will be matched, even overtaken" one day, there "will never be another" like him. |