Olympia 2020: No third gold for Andy Murray at the Olympic Games
After Andy Murray had to withdraw from the solo main field before the start of the Olympic singles competition, the two-time gold medal winner was now eliminated in doubles.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Jul 28, 2021, 07:22 pm
After the dream games in London and Rio de Janeiro, the Olympic tennis tournament in Tokyo had no happy ending for Andy Murray. Initially, the 34-year-old had to cancel his participation in the individual competition at short notice due to a muscle strain in his thigh, and now the quarter-finals of the doubles competition also ended. Murray and his partner Joe Salisbury lost against the Croatian pairing Ivan Dodig and Marin Cilic after winning the first set 6: 4, 6: 7 (2) and 7:10 in the champions tiebreak. For the Briton, the dream of a third gold medal at the Olympic Games is over.
In 2012, the three-time Grand Slam winner prevailed against Roger Federer in three clear sets on the sacred lawn of Wimbledon. Four years later, Juan Martin del Potro was left behind in the Brazilian metropolis of millions. In addition to the two highest noble metal honors, there was also the silver medal in mixed in 2012 - Sir Andy only had to admit defeat to the Belarusian team Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi alongside Laura Robson.
Is that it for Murray and Olympia?
In view of the physical problems of Murray, who has been equipped with a metal hip since the beginning of 2019, competing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris would be a real surprise. In addition, the Scot tweeted quite clear words after the double defeat, even if he left a small back door open for the games in the French capital by means of cautious wording:
“I feel down after today's defeat. Exercise can be brutal. Thank you Joe Salisbury for the opportunity to play with you. You were brilliant I wish it had gone a little better, but sometimes it just sucks. And if that should be the end of my Olympic journey, I would like to thank Team Great Britain most sincerely. It was an absolute privilege to represent my country at four Olympic Games and it has brought me some of the best memories of my life. "