Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray has announced his withdrawal from the singles competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics, opting instead to compete in doubles for the final event of his career. Murray has confirmed he will retire at the end of his fifth Olympic Games.
This decision means that the final singles match of his career was against Jordan Thompson in the second round at Queen’s in June, where he was forced to retire due to a back injury. The same injury also led to his withdrawal from the singles at Wimbledon, though he did play a final doubles match at the venue where he won two of his three major titles.
In Paris, Murray will partner with Dan Evans in the doubles competition. The pair have been drawn against Japan’s Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori in the first round.
“The Olympics has been incredibly special for me and there have been some amazing memories on the court – particularly in London,” Murray said at Thursday’s draw.
“I’m happy I get to do this one more time. It’s unfortunate [not playing in singles] – I trained to get ready to play both, but I’m getting a bit older now so it gets harder to recover from injuries. I ran out of time.”
The draw has also set up the potential for a thrilling encounter between Rafael Nadal and long-time rival Novak Djokovic if they win their first-round matches.