Retire Like Andy! In 5-Word Tweet, Murray Calls Time on a Glittering Tennis Career

When we talk about modern-day tennis, the names that come up are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray—one of the greatest tennis players and the greatest Brit to play the game. On Thursday, Murray announced his retirement from the sport he loved with a five-word tweet, and all hell broke loose on the internet. The two-time Olympic champion bowed out of the tennis world after he and his teammate Dan Evans lost to the USA duo Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. "Never even liked tennis anyway," Sir Andy Murray tweeted moments after the match, in what people dubbed as the "signature Murray style." He later told the BBC how he was waiting for this moment throughout the tournament.

"I have been ready for this moment for the last few months since I had the operation on my back—I knew it was the right time, and I feel lucky to come and compete here," Murray was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

Murray Retires: How it Unfolded

Andy Murray announced his retirement from professional tennis following his last match in the Paris Olympic Games, where he reached the quarter-finals with his partner Daniel Evans in the Men’s doubles event.

Tears welled in Andy Murray's eyes as he walked alone onto the court to wave goodbye to professional tennis, his career over after the loss.

“I knew that moment was coming for the last few months. If it didn’t happen today, it was going to be in a couple days’ time, and I was ready for it. Obviously, I was emotional because it’s the last time I will play a competitive match. But I am genuinely happy, just now. I’m happy with how it's finished,” said Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and the only player in tennis history with two Summer Games singles golds.

But if we look back at what a historic career it was, from being the youngest ever winner of the US Open Junior title to staying at the World No. 1 rank for 41 weeks.

Unlike his enormous career with 46 singles titles, including 3 Grand Slams, he announced his retirement on X in a different way.

In his quirky nature, he chipped in just five words to end the saga. He wrote, “Never even liked tennis anyway,” and also changed his bio from “I play tennis” to “I played tennis.” It was actually the Andy Murray way of saying this is the end.

Social Media Reaction to Andy Murray’s Retirement Post

The official page of Roland-Garros replied to the post and wrote, “We know that ain't true.”

“Because you LOVE it,” wrote the X page of the ATP Tour.

The page of the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 also replied to the X post with, “ANDYYYYY” and crying emojis.

The British Cycling page for the Paris Olympics 2024 replied and asked, “Do you want to try cycling Andy?”

Carlos Alcaraz posted a picture of the duo and wrote, “It was a privilege to share the court with you, Andy! Congratulations on a legendary career and for being an example to all. You will always have a fan here!”

Post Match Interview

In the post-match interview, he said, “I gave as much as I could to the career.”

“There are obviously things that I look back on and wish that I could have done differently, but it’s been a tough time to win major titles in the sport with the players that were ahead of me. I’m proud of my achievements, my efforts, and I’m looking forward to prolonged rest now.

“I’m sad to be finishing, but the last couple of weeks since we arrived here have been brilliant. I’ve had a lot of fun being around the team,” he added later.

A Throwback at the Illustrious Career

Andy Murray was the first British tennis player who reached World No. 1 in the ATP rankings in November 2016 at age 29, and the second-oldest to debut at No. 1. That year, he ended with a 24-match winning streak and five consecutive titles, including the Nitto ATP Finals, where he defeated Novak Djokovic to secure the Year-End No. 1 ranking. Murray became the first British Grand Slam singles champion since 1977 by winning the 2012 US Open and the first British male Wimbledon champion since 1936, winning in 2013 and 2016.

He is also the first player to win two Olympic singles gold medals (2012, 2016). Over his career, Murray won 46 tour-level titles, including three majors, and 14 ATP Masters 1000 titles, placing him fifth in the series' history. He earned 739 tour-level wins, the most among British men, and had 29 victories against top players Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal. Additionally, he led Great Britain to a Davis Cup victory in 2015 and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals nine times, winning the event in 2016.

• World No. 1 Achievement: First British player to reach World No. 1 in the ATP rankings in 2016.
• Historic Year-End No. 1: Ended 2016 with a 24-match winning streak, winning five consecutive titles, including the Nitto ATP Finals.
• Grand Slam Victories: First British Grand Slam singles champion since 1977 (2012 US Open). First British male Wimbledon champion since 1936 (2013, 2016).
• Olympic Gold Medals: First player to win two Olympic singles gold medals (2012, 2016).
• Masters 1000 Titles: Won 14 ATP Masters 1000 titles, ranking fifth in the series' history.
• Top Player Rivalries: Achieved 29 wins against top rivals Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal.
• Tour-Level Wins: Earned 739 tour-level wins, the most among British men, and 46 tour-level titles, including three majors.
• Davis Cup Victory: Led Great Britain to Davis Cup glory in 2015.
• Nitto ATP Finals: Qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals nine times, winning the event in 2016 with a perfect 5-0 record.

'Finishing on his terms'

“I'm glad I got to go out here at the Olympics and finish on my terms,” he said, “because at times in the last few years, that wasn’t a certainty.” We can definitely say one thing, with wit and humor in abundance, Sir Andy Murray's post-retirement career is not going to be much away from the headlines.