Andy Murray brought the house down with an awkward Centre Court admission as part of a touching tribute to his wife on his Wimbledon farewell.
The British tennis legend was given a hero’s reception as he began his last appearance alongside his brother Jamie in the men’s doubles but the pair were beaten by Rinky Hijikata and John Peers.
Murray still has mixed doubles to come with Emma Raducanu but the All England Club took the opportunity to celebrate his historic career last night.
Loud cheers greeted the return to Centre Court of Sue Barker along with greats of the game like John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Murray’s great rival Novak Djokovic.
But the loudest ovation was, of course, reserved for Murray, who could not hold back the tears after a video montage telling the story of his career, with contributions from Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, played on the screens.
Interviewed by Barker, who was convinced to come out of retirement for one last on-court chat with the two-time Wimbledon winner, Murray thanked those who had contributed to his glittering career, including his wife Kim.
‘I better say something about my wife because otherwise I’ll get in trouble if I don’t, but this is probably going to be the hard part,’ said an emotional Murray.
‘We met the first time when we were 18 years old. Kim’s dad is a tennis coach and we met over in New York and went out for dinner there at the US Open.
‘I choked a little bit the first time we went out. We walked her home to her hotel and I asked her for her email address. I don’t think that’s a normal thing to do.
‘She came along to actually watch me for the first time at the US Open. I actually vomited twice in that match.
‘Once right in front of where she was sitting. I then stood up and vomited on my opponent’s racquet bag and she still seemed to like me so I knew she was a keeper after that.
‘She’s been an amazing, amazing support to me and to my whole family and is the best mum.’
Attention post-Wimbledon will not turn to where and when Murray finally brings the curtain down on his epic career.
The indications are that the Olympic Games in Paris will represent his farewell tournament. There remain questions of what might come post-retirement, though, and – when asked by Barker – he dropped a significant hint.
‘I’m not never going to come back here!’ he began. ‘It depends who I’m watching. I hate watching my brother. I find it really difficult to watch my brother play.
‘I love tennis. I watch it all the time. I would probably be more comfortable sitting up there in a coaching box rather than somewhere else.’
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