Andy Murray Hints at Possible Retirement from Tennis: ‘I Probably Don’t Have Too Long Left’

After his 500th hardcourt win at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships, he opened up about his future in the sport

The end of Andy Murray’s decorated tennis career could be coming soon.

The British tennis star, 36, opened up about his future in the sport after winning a recent first-round match at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.

“I obviously still love competing and still love the game, but it obviously gets harder and harder the older you get to compete with the young guys and keep your body fit and fresh,” Murray, 36, said during an on-court interview after the match, per the Associated Press.

He added, “I probably don’t have too long left, but I’ll do as best as I can these last few months.”

Monday’s win marked Murray’s 500th career win on a hard court surface, adding him to a prestigious list of modern tennis greats that includes Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal. But it was also only the second time Murray won a match in 2024.

The three-time Grand Slam champion has struggled in recent years to look like his old self after bursting onto the tennis scene as a 17-year-old phenom in 2005, winning his first ATP title less than a year after turning pro.

Related: Who Is Andy Murray's Wife? All About Kim Sears

By 2008, Murray ascended to the top of the sport and reach his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open, losing in straight sets to Federer. But in 2012, Murray captured his long-coveted Grand Slam championship with a win at the same tournament over Djokovic. He went on to win Wimbledon twice over the next four years, as well as becoming a back-to-back gold medalist at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.

Murray was ranked the world’s No. 1 tennis player in 2016, becoming the first British player to ever do so. And at the end of the year New Year Honours, Murray was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. But in 2018, injuries and back-to-back hip surgeries put Murray’s career on halt for nearly two years.

“I’ve been in a lot of pain for probably about 20 months,” Murray said at an emotional press conference at the 2019 Australian Open, per Australia's news.com.au. He added, “I can’t even put my shoes or socks on without any pain.”

Related: Surprise! Tennis Star Andy Murray and Wife Kim Welcome Their Fourth Baby

Murray would eventually make his way back onto the court and later that year won his first ATP tour title at the European Open. But he hasn’t gotten past the third round of any major championship tournament since mid-2017 when injuries began to plague the back end of his career.

Last month, the father of four took to social media to slam critics calling for him to retire, sharing a BBC op-ed that asked whether the former world No. 1 was starting to “damage his legacy” by continuing to play.

“Tarnishing my legacy?” Murray posted to X (formerly Twitter). “Do me a favour. I’m in a terrible moment right now I’ll give you that. Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I’m not most people and my mind works differently. I won’t quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce the performances I know I’m capable of.”

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