Sir Keir Starmer and his Scottish counterpart John Swinney have led tributes to the “true British great” Andy Murray as the tennis star ends his career with defeat in the quarter-finals of the Olympic men’s doubles.
Twenty-one years after his first professional match, Murray’s hopes of a medal-winning swansong evaporated in a 6-2 6-4 loss to American third seeds Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.
Murray and his doubles partner Dan Evans’ delight at two dramatic victories at Roland Garros, saving seven match points along the way, had been one of the stories of the Games, but a third act proved well beyond them despite more late resistance.
After Evans’ final return dropped just long, he and Murray embraced before the Scot took centre stage to chants of “Andy, Andy”, waving to all sides of Court Suzanne Lenglen and then leaving the court for the final time.
Murray has been battling his body since the hip problems that nearly ended his career five and a half years ago first incapacitated him in 2017.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “1 Davis Cup, 2 Olympic golds and 3 Grand Slams.
“But more than that, thanks @andy_murray for two decades of phenomenal entertainment and sportsmanship.
“A true British great.”
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said: “Sir Andy Murray is Scotland’s greatest ever sportsman, and his achievements during one of the toughest eras in tennis history will mark him down as a true sporting legend.
“The whole of Scotland is so proud of Sir Andy and while we are disappointed that we will no longer get to see him compete with his trademark fighting spirit, we thank him for the incredible memories he gave us over so many years and wish him the very best for his well-earned retirement.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan wrote: “Andy Murray until the end. Thank you for the skill, the courage, the joy, the memories – and the drama.”