- Murray, 37, is playing his final Wimbledon as he nears the end of a stellar career
Wimbledon began its farewell to Andy Murray with emotional tributes to the British star following his defeat in the mixed doubles with brother Jamie.
The two Murrays went down 7-6, 6-4 to Australian duo Rinky Hijikata and John Peers on what could be his final appearance on Centre Court.
But the contest itself was secondary to the tributes paid to Murray, who is playing his final Wimbledon, after the match.
Retired BBC tennis anchor and former player Sue Barker, 68, made a comeback as fans rose to applaud the two-time champion. His wife Kim Sears, his two eldest children, eight-year-old Sophia and six-year-old Edie, mother Judy and father William were among those in the crowd.
Murray, 37, was visibly emotional as he was shown a video including messages from the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Andy Murray was visibly emotional as the crowd paid a Centre Court tribute to the star
Murray is waving goodbye to Wimbledon as he nears the end of a glittering tennis career
Sue Barker came out of retirement to lead tributes to Murray, 37, after his doubles defeat
Fans gave Murray, who withdrew from the singles but is playing the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu, a standing ovation as the British star wiped tears from his eyes during his on-court interview with Barker.
A host of tennis greats were also present, such as Djokovic, Tim Henman, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Lleyton Hewitt.
Murray spoke candidly about his Wimbledon triumphs, his Olympic gold and his defeat by Roger Federer in the 2012 final in his conversation with Barker.
‘It’s always really difficult to speak after a loss, particularly after a Grand Slam final and being at Wimbledon,’ he said on the loss to Federer.
‘That’s the closest I had been and it was obviously difficult. It was quite an important moment in my career.
‘I’m not saying I’m the most outgoing or bubbly personality, but I think people probably saw how much I cared about the sport for the first time maybe.
‘Obviously it was an important match and important moment in my career.’
A few weeks later, Murray avenged the heartbreaking defeat by Federer as he beat the Swiss maestro on the same court to win Olympic gold at London 2012.
‘Definitely to that point it was the biggest week of my life,’ he added.
‘To turn that around after losing in the final of Wimbledon and then to come here and play, it was one of my favourite days I’ve ever had, certainly as an athlete.
‘To play in a home Olympic Games at Wimbledon, to beat Roger for once in a big match was nice and then I had a great run in the mixed doubles with Laura Robson as well so yeah, it was an amazing week for me.’
More to follow
