There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Andy Murray bade an emotional farewell to Wimbledon on Thursday. But he also drew plenty of laughs and had his wife cringing while trying to pay tribute to her.
Murray’s Wimbledon swansong ended with a loss alongside brother Jamie in the men’s doubles, with Aussies Rinky Hijikata and John Peers winning 7-6 (8-6) 6-4. Murray was then honoured in a post-match ceremony on centre court, with past and present players paying their respects.
There was a hush over the crowd as Murray spoke through tears, but things took a comical turn when he shared some words about wife Kim. “I better say something about my wife, otherwise I’ll get in trouble,” he said to much laughter.
Strangely, the first thing that came to his mind was vomit – and Kim’s face said it all. “We met for the first time at age 18. Kim’s dad is a tennis coach. We met in New York,” he said. “We went for dinner at the US Open. I choked a bit the first time we went out. I walked her home to her hotel. I asked her for her email address. I don’t think that’s a normal thing to do.
“She came to watch my first match live at the US Open. I 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. She still seemed to like me. I knew she was a keeper after that.”
The crowd laughed out loud as Murray fumbled his way through the funny anecdote, but he also had some beautiful words too. “She’s been an amazing support to me and my whole family,” Murray added. “She’s the best mum.”
But Murray couldn’t resist one final quip, saying: “Unfortunately in a few months she’s gonna have to see me every day. So things might be rocky for a little while. Hopefully we can stick it out together. I’m looking forward to the rest of our lives together.”
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In heartwarming scenes, Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt were among the many on centre court to congratulate Murray on his career. Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams sent tributes via video.
“It’s hard because I would love to keep playing but I can’t,” Murray said. “Physically it is too tough now, all of the injuries, they have added up and they haven’t been insignificant. I want to play forever, I love the sport and it’s given me so much. It’s taught me loads of lessons over the years I can use for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop so it is hard.
“It was obviously really special to play with Jamie. We never got the chance to do it before (at Wimbledon). It was a bit of a race to get out here. Physically, it wasn’t easy but I am glad we did it.”
Despite the send-off on Thursday, Murray actually has at least one more match at Wimbledon. He’s also in the mixed doubles draw with Emma Raducanu.