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In his final days as a professional tennis player, Andy Murray developed a new obsession. Wanting to savor every moment as he arrives at his fifth Paris Olympics and final tennis tournament, Murray set out with the aim of amassing Team GB’s largest collection of Olympic pins, taking the opportunity to trade with many athletes. from different countries that can build the biggest aircraft.
Murray, it turns out, is very good, although it helps when you bring fame around the Olympic village. Within days, he could boast the biggest pin collection of the 327 Team GB athletes in Paris, enlisting the help of gymnast Becky Downie to collect one of his favourites, Simone Biles. However, Murray wasn’t satisfied until he found one of the country’s rarest pins. He set his sights on tracking down Liechtenstein, searching high-altitude villages until he finally found the country’s lone athlete in Paris, a mountain biker named Romano Puetener. When Murray returned to his teammates with the Liechtenstein pin in hand, he celebrated as if he had won a gold medal.
Until the final moments of his career, Murray’s competitive streak remained as strong as ever, the same fire for the card game in the Olympic village as when he took to the clay of Roland Garros. Incredibly, his last tournament produced a week to complete the age given to the sport. Murray and doubles partner Dan Evans saved five match points in the opening match. Then, two days later, they conjured another escape act. Where others would have seen the end, Murray refused to give up and accepted the road ahead of him.
The last loss to Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul was bruising, but it could have happened five days earlier. However, Murray rewrote the last chapter. As the final curtain now falls, after losing in the quarter finals, there is no more fitting way to make a mark than at these Olympics. When Murray was asked what he expected, he replied, “I think the last three matches have been a good example.”
Or mark the last part, at least. After all, the career of one of England’s greatest athletes can be traced closely through different chapters; The decisive moment came at the end of England’s 77-year wait for the men’s Wimbledon championship. But that could not come without the heartbreak of a painful defeat, or the years of sheer corruption that preceded them, chasing a dream that seemed out of reach. In a cruel twist the best part of Murray’s career ended abruptly, injuries denying him the chance to claim more titles that would have separated him from all the greats in Britain.
But he was a legend in a different class. By all measures, Murray should have reached the end of his career five years ago, due to the fact that his broken body threatened to end prematurely at the age of 31. written, after that emotional press conference in Melbourne in 2019. They reflected the story of his glory, one of endurance and heart to overcome the suffocating pressure at Wimbledon, and spoke glowingly of the players and people who lanky, guarded teenager from Dunblane grew up. become. And when the guard falls after crying in the Center Court, he can be the most impressive force.
At his peak, Murray was a fierce competitor, a worthy challenger to the greatest players in the history of the sport in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. When fame and fortune came, Murray used his platform to speak the truth and set an example that is now being followed by the next generation of British players. Murray advocated for women’s tennis and hired a women’s coach in Amelie Mauresmo, using her position to call for equality in the game. As Murray struggles back from hip resurfacing surgery, he’s beyond the time he can be an inspiration to others. While he couldn’t get back to competing for the biggest title since his comeback, everything that followed was a bonus and a prize, until this Olympics.
Murray’s legacy may be defined by his historic Wimbledon title, but it is not measured solely by wins or losses. In sports, moments of true victory can be fleeting. Even for people like Murray whose achievements are immortalized in history, the majority of athletes spend their careers achieving the honors they will achieve. made him a champion within reach because he fought until the end. Even though his body was disappointing, his heart remained. As if searching for the last Olympic pin to add to the collection, he remains the last one: a monumental figure in British sporting history, the likes of which will never be seen again.
