On June 27th, local time, Wimbledon officials announced that Andy Murray and Jamie Murray have been awarded a doubles wildcard for this year’s tournament. This means that even if Andy Murray, referred to as Murray, is unable to compete in singles, he will still have the chance to participate in what could be his last Wimbledon journey in the doubles competition.
Murray retired from the Queen’s Club grass court event two weeks ago due to back pain, casting doubt on his participation at Wimbledon. He subsequently underwent surgery last week with the aim of being fit for both Wimbledon and the Olympics in July.
The Murray brothers at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Although the Murray brothers have previously played together in Davis Cup and Olympic events, this will mark their first venture into a Grand Slam men’s doubles draw. This adds a special significance to Murray’s “last dance” at Wimbledon.
Regarding the possibility of participating in the singles event, according to British media reports, Murray stated that he would make a decision “at the last minute.”
“Given how quickly my body is recovering, an extra 72 to 96 hours could make a huge difference. It’s complicated, especially because I want to play Wimbledon one last time. I really hope to have the chance to compete, even though I know some people might say it’s not the right approach to withdraw so close to the tournament. But this happens every week on tour.”
“Players who win at Queen’s, for example, withdraw from Eastbourne after the draw has been made, and that’s considered entirely reasonable. I believe I deserve the chance to play at Wimbledon one last time, and I hope I get it, so I want to give myself as much time as possible to see how my body responds.”
“People have asked me, ‘Will you decide before the draw?’ My answer is no, I’ll wait until the last minute to see if I’m capable. I think I deserve that right. Right now, the chances are higher that I won’t play, but I’m doing a lot of rehabilitation work every day to give myself a chance to compete again.”
“I know there are more important things in the world than where and how I end my career, but given all the effort I’ve put into the sport over the years, I’d at least like to have a competitive match of quality. I don’t want a repeat of what happened at Queen’s.”
Murray also confirmed that this year’s Wimbledon and Olympics are likely to be the final chapters of his career.
“I can’t say for sure if I don’t play Wimbledon and my body doesn’t recover in time for the Olympics, whether I would consider another tournament. But if I can play both Wimbledon and the Olympics, it’s very likely that my career will come to an end there.”
(Translation by Wang Fei)