'BODY WAS TELLING ME IT WAS TIME' - Andy Murray reflects on retirement ahead of Paris Olympic Games

Andy this is it yeah yeah last last tournament looking forward to it I mean I I felt like when I was listening to you a few weeks ago you were still kind of arming and aring and not sure which tournament was going to be your last one what made this the last event well yeah I mean I I sort of I'd spoken to my team last year about finishing this year um spoken to my family about that as well but still until probably 2 3 months ago I wasn't I wasn't really that happy about it I was unsure whether it was the right time and you know I still felt like I wanted to keep going and then when I had the the problem with my back at queens and the surgery um I knew that I wanted to finish because yeah just my my body was telling me it was time and physically it's been you know has been hard last few years so yeah I I knew um when I had the operation I was told I'm you know I wasn't going to be able to play the Olympics or Wimbledon um I saw the picture of the the scab on your back it was brutal yeah I mean it looked worse than what it looked worse than than than what it was and um you know the surgeons did did a brilliant job but yeah it wasn't wasn't pretty I felt like the first time I said I was going to retire out loud it kind of brought me a lot of Peace whereas in the leadup beforehand I was still there was always some hope I guess yes and so I guess once you said out loud were you like I'm at peace with it now yeah I mean I'd spoken about it ear than the year actually in Miami and you know that this was going to be my my last year on the tour and that I did had no plans on playing past this summer I didn't know exactly which tournament was going to be but that has been my plan the whole year and then but like I said I still wasn't that happy about it um but no I feel I feel good um I know this is going to be my last event I I think it's the right time and yeah I'm I'm certain about it now and I'm glad I sort of took my time over it and didn't rush into anything and um I feel really comfortable with it is it the fact that you're on a beach in Greece and you're like this is a bit all right actually yeah I mean I'm I'm looking forward to that side of things and just yeah relaxing and yeah being you know being with my family getting the chance to we never took that many holidays whilst I was playing I always wanted to be at home but obviously I get to spend lot L of home time at home now and yeah get to go away with the family as much um as much as I can and yeah I'm looking forward to that side of things I'm looking forward to playing more Golf and yeah just relaxing for a period before I decide what I want to do next what's the handicap at the moment my handicap has has lapsed because I haven't played first round of golf I played was about two weeks ago in the last six years so it was six but I've handed my first card in and you need to hand three in before you get your already getting defensive it's okay and you had that lovely Moment On Center Court the ceremony everything about it I thought was perfect so after that what made you want to come back a couple of weeks later for some doubles with Dan Evans and was being the five-time Olympian a big part of that um well it had always been in my plan to play at the Olympics um to be honest that I didn't know if I was going to get that chance obviously because of the operation the surgery and um but yeah i' I've been training to to try and come back to play the the singles as well I was you know I was training over in Greece and playing single sets and points and everything and yeah it just wasn't body wasn't reacting like I needed it to um but yeah I wanted to come here and yeah and compete for GB again I've I've loved doing that over the years had some amazing amazing memories and yeah yeah and pump to get to do it one last time and I think me and Dan are a good team and hope we can have a good run and five time Olympians is quite a select group when you think about the names on it's like Allison Felix Venus Williams Michael Phelps and now you're in that group so that must be feel pretty special They yeah it is I mean it obviously shows you've had you know a long career and to have stayed you know near the top of the game for that period is yeah it's been it's been hard but so worth it and I've been really lucky um as well I think you know athletes don't always acknowledge that side of things but you know you need a lot of luck to to be able to hang around for for that long and um yeah there's been some amazing athletes that have played five six you know competed in five six Olympics and glad like I said to get to do it one more time and does this bring back so many memories for you with it being at Roland gas at Aslam in many ways similar to Wimbledon where you recognize the venue so well but it's totally different atmosphere yeah it's it's really different like it's amazing how just the sort of change and the colors of the background can yeah affect the feel of the place but you obviously really familiar with with rolling garos and being in in Paris but yeah the Olympics does bring a definitely a different atmosphere I mean we experienced that in London it was not like how Wimbledon usually is um it's very different feel and yeah I love that and I hope that um yeah all all the French you know people come out and support and and create a brilliant atmosphere there well you sent me a picture the other day where was this picture by the way was it in the team of Team apartment of the two of us that was uh in the corridors at Roland garos they have kind of all of the the tennis medalists kind of around the hallways there so I'm going to get it up because you kind of crop the actual winners out but it's quite a cute one we look so young and we look so thrilled even though we lost that day but just the whole week was electric yeah it was yeah it was amazing amazing week for sure I know I don't always look at on the court I do find competing very stressful um but that week you looked so happy that week I was really I really really enjoyed the whole week it was just yeah super it is Once in a life time to get to compete in Olympics at home you know and you knew you never going to get that opportunity again and yeah certainly made the most of it and was obviously you know lucky to have won a couple of medals and were really close to to getting golden the next as well and I remember sitting behind your mom for your singles final and she was so clenched and so nervous and yet everyone else was so calm because it was like I almost thought it was a guarantee that you were going to win that one cuz you were playing so well there was just an energy about it and you must have felt that on court yeah I mean I did I did feel good go that that whole week i' played you know I felt like I was playing really really well um I wasn't certainly certainly wasn't sure that I was going to win the final against against vedera but um yeah it was one of the best matches that that I've ever played to be honest um yeah everything just just seemed to click that week and um yeah I I don't know I don't know why that was the case but uh wish I could could have played like that more often are you happy though that your mom doesn't have to go through so much stress yeah I mean that's one of the things that like when I watched um the 2012 Wimbledon final like the last game it's not something when you're on the court I'm not thinking about what anyone in your team or your family is feeling you're just try you know focused on that moment but when you watch back the video of that final and you know the cameras when I'm losing the match points are going up to your team and your family and everything you can see like you know how difficult that is and um you know and they're trying not to let it show as well yeah it's it's you know it's it's tough it's tough to watch that and I I know and I appreciate that a little bit you know when I watch my own kids doing things like trying to learn how to swim and stay you know above the water and everything you so want to just you know help them in those moments but it's not always not always the best to do that need to figure out for themselves sometimes and you had another amazing Olympics moment with Jamie playing together in London but you kind of started your whole careers together and then a few weeks ago almost ended it together in a way that must have been so special yeah it was brilliant the hug made me cry a little bit oh really yeah I mean Jimmy's not as much of a hugger as me usually but um yeah it was yeah it was special I was so like reflecting back on that like a few weeks later or even days later you know I was talking to my family and everything about it it was just perfect that I got to finish playing at Wimbledon yeah on Center Court with you know with my with my brother we never we never did that in our whole careers and um yeah it was great to to do that you know one one more time with him and it's funny because you always I don't know athletes probably always want like a A Perfect Ending and want that to finish on winning a tournament or having a great run somewhere and there're the things that you think about but like yeah even though we lost that day the fact that we got to get out there and play on Center core and yeah with all of our friends and family around was brilliant and the team environment at the moment seems really good you're sharing an apartment with how many people four it's just Jack on his own isn't it yeah the youngster got got pulled out of a hat though I heard pulled out of a hat yeah did you not want your own apartment though two gold medals you're like surely I deserve that no we want well no we that was we got we all got asked if you wanted to stay in you know there was one single apartment or single room um and everyone turned it down so then but why well just I guess to be around everyone like in the evenings we're you know playing games and you know going out hunting for pins and those sorts of things and I don't know we've all got our own room within the apartment we're not all sharing but two bathrooms two bathrooms that's tough uh do you not feel a bit too old for this no well yeah C what mam was saying it feels like being back in like college dorms and stuff um and I know some of the tennis players kind of stay outside of the village but that for me is like been one of the things I've like enjoyed about it the most is being in the village with all of the other athletes and you know getting to hang out with you know the tennis players who usually you know I spend time with them you know want them at tournaments but not you know like like it is here and enjoy that have you been asking any other athletes for photos I saw you asked alz for a photo or are you being stopped more um they been stopped a little bit but yeah I haven't asked for too many photos I mean we did the photos with the team at the Olympic rings last night um and yeah we've just been I mean I know you were into in London but like a bit geeky but I'd love the whole pin exchange you didn't get into it then though well I wasn't in the village neither was I I made it work oh really I I I thought you were staying in the village okay yeah well the last two I've I've done it I've got like the full thing best country well yesterday so the game that I play is I want to get the most rare pins and I got one yeah that's how works so I got one from lonstein who only have one athlete yesterday so happy happy with that yeah that is a bit nerdy but no I like it and I mean looking ahead to to this week with Dan are there any expectations I know you can obviously have a good run because the two of you are great at doubles but is there a goal for the week other than getting a medal on the board well yeah I mean I think that's it is to try and get a medal I mean I do believe we have a chance I'm not saying we're the favorites to to win the tournament or anything but you know Dan is he obviously a very very good singles player but his game works really well on the double score as well he loves being up at the net he's got great hands great volleys he's you know he's smart so when it's all said and done with Dan in the doubles do you plan to hang around try and watch some other sports um so in Beijing that I did that um I lost early and yeah went and watched some of the boxing I watched badminton there um and the hope is that I don't have time to do that but I I may do if we didn't wanten to do well then I might might stick around yeah it felt kind of sad after London that we were watching the second week of the Olympics in a Cincinnati Whole Foods like it does feel like a bit of a Comedown knowing that the tennis schedule is quite Relentless so now you can actually do it don't have to worry about that now anymore which just nice are you going to go big night out with EVO like you must have some sort of big celebration plan hang with him on a night out really what's the plan then you need a celebration well I I have a plan like for when I get home we've got um yeah a bunch of my team and friends are coming around um I think yeah some stage in the early August we're doing that but I don't have any I don't have any plans here and is there one thing that you're looking forward to doing that you haven't been able to do like is it eating as much chocolate as you want CU I remember years and years ago I was like well Andy what do you do for fun and you were like core Cor yeah you said cool work and I was like oh God no I'd say now well well golf I want a golf I haven't i' not play I used to love playing golf and I literally have barely played in the last 20 years so that's what I want is that not going to wreck your hip again though um it seems to be fighting when I play my back and my hip feel all right when I play but I guess we'll find out it depends how much I practice if I get like obsessed with it then maybe it'll be an issue so do you feel like you are going to be painfree cuz that that would be surely the most important thing yeah I mean I think that I mean I'm I don't know I mean a lot of the sort of 40y olds that I know are not exactly feeling like my fitness trainer my physio are like in their early 40s and they don't feel amazing so I'm not expecting to be pain free but I think when you're having to compete and train every single day like despite the pain it's quite you know it's hard and it can be quite tiring whereas now you know when I finish if I'm uncomfortable or something sore I don't have to go to the gym or go running or chase after a ball I can Pi my feet up chill yeah and are the kids playing tennis at the moment a few months ago they weren't really that into it no I mean we we played once on holiday they decided they wanted to they wanted to come and play when we were in so played with them then they play a little bit of golf swimming um they do all the sports at school like net ball and um hockey but not not so much into the tennis do you want them to because you love the game so much there's no way that you're going to go cold turkey now um I mean if they want to play I will definitely encourage them but I've learned that if you do try to guide them in a certain direction then that doesn't doesn't always make things more likely or better so I'm allowing them to make their own their own choices and for you do you feel like um maybe you don't know yet and you're giving it a few months but you know if someone like Jack was like can you help me out a bit would you say Yes um it's a good question I mean it it depends really because initially I want to be at home I don't want to travel um you know I want to spend time at home with my family and see my kids growing up and stuff um because that yeah that's obviously something you miss when you're on the road in the last few years when I've been away for like 3 four weeks at a time I found that difficult but look obviously with all of the British players like when I'm at home um you know I'll try to help like whenever I can if any of them wanted to I would obviously try my best to you know to make that you to make that happen um but I also know from experience and stuff is that you know you see it a lot on the tour now that coaches come in and do 10 12 weeks and you know come in just for the major events and the bulk of the work is done away from that when you're doing the training blocks and the buildup to the majors and stuff like that and it's you know it's a big commitment to to coach if you want to do it properly and I would want to make sure did it properly so I don't know fingers crossed I think you'd be great at it oh thank you I could see you doing like a mentorship role amongst all the Juniors yeah I mean I I um I spent a bit of time with one of the young British Juniors recently he came to train with me when we were in Greece and um went along to watch one of his matches at The Wimbledon pre-qual and stuff and I I really enjoyed that it was fun like you know I feel like also with Juniors like it's a bit well I I was probably very stubborn I still am but when I was younger like very stubborn you think you know everything like when you start on the tour and stuff but I don't know juniors are maybe a little bit easier to to influence maybe listen a little bit a little bit more than the players on the tour potentially and I remember a few years ago you said about another player who retired that they absolutely maximize their potential and I always thought of it as like the best compliment you can give someone so would you give yourself that compliment I mean I don't know because the way that my mind works there's always things that I feel like I could have done better or should have done differently and I have regrets and you know if I could do it over again then I would like that chance with the knowledge that I have now that maybe I would have done things better differently but I mean I gave it a pretty good goal um but yeah there's things things I probably could have done probably could have done a bit better that maybe would have helped me I would have been a bit smarter probably with the way that I I trained as well um but always a perfectionist yeah I don't yeah I don't know I mean I got close but I wouldn't say that um yeah I think I probably could have done a bit better that's tough and if there's one thing that you're most proud of what would it be for tennis wise yeah um what can be General I I'll go tennis wise that's probably a bit easier I mean winning wimbl then yeah I mean winning Wimbledon probably is the thing that for me for me personally winning the gold medal um and obviously the silver in uh in London for me would be yeah big highlight for me I mean obviously Wimbledon and everything was amazing but just the actual experience that I had that week and how I felt that week was yeah meant meant the most to me probably should have been gold day should have been yeah cheers thank you good luck this week thank you well done