THE CHAIRMAN of Droitwich Tennis Club has praised the impact Andy Murray has had on the game locally, as well as the World stage.
Speaking after the 31-year-old officially announced he would be retiring from the game this year because of a hip injury, Neil Bates said the year Murray won Wimbledon for a second time the town’s tennis club saw a ten to 15 per cent increase in the number of people taking up the sport.
Neil Bates told The Standard: “It’s very much the end of a golden era.
“To have a global superstar in our sport has been fantastic.
“He inspired people of all ages to pick up a racket.
“Young players are always looking for a role model and Andy was the perfect one.
“Andy put the sport on the map and this is a sad day for British tennis.”
Neil added he was gutted that it had happened the way it had, adding he wished Murray could have continued longer and retired when he wanted to.
“I hope he is able to make an appearance at Wimbledon this year because it would be nice if he could retire after that.”
And he said even if Andy was not playing, he still had a lot to give to the sport.
“He will remain a real ambassador and role model for British tennis and I hope he stays in the game.
“We don’t have anyone like him.”
Murray has had a glittering tennis career after turning professional in 2005.
He won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 and the US Open in 2012, as well as being a finalist in the French Open in 2013 and a five-time finalist in the Australian Open.
Murray has also won two Olympic golds, 45 ATP tournaments and led Britain to an amazing 2015 Davis Cup victory – an achievement which, years ago, would not have been thought possible.
In an interview on Friday, Murray spoke about his hip injury, saying ideally he would like to finish his career after Wimbledon but, he admitted, because of the pain, that may not be possible for him.
Tributes to him were paid over by the weekend by Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who, along with Murray and Rafa Nadal, were considered world tennis’ ‘big four’ and there has been talk of a statue of Murray being put up at Wimbledon to mark his amazing career.
Murray was beaten earlier today in the Australian Open by Spaniard Bautista Agut – 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (4-7) 6-2.
