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There is no perfect way to call time, no method of looking into the future to see the end of the script that has been written for you. Except, in a way, there is: “The final match of Andy Murray’s career came in a painful defeat in the Olympics men’s doubles, alongside Dan Evans on a half-full court at Roland Garros,” wrote a certain reporter, sitting in the stands at Suzanne-Lenglen. “Despite a late rally to force a deciding tiebreak, Murray and Evans were an inexperienced doubles pair and it showed in a 6-2 6-7 (5-7) (10/4) first-round defeat to Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel,” the draft continued, waiting to be sent.
That was on the first match point. Then came the next. And another. Until, somehow, Murray and Evans had saved all five, ripping up the reports that had already been written about them. Not yet. Not tonight. Instead, Murray extended his career and his final tournament at Paris 2024. Alongside Evans, the Team GB pairing produced one of the most remarkable escape acts to win 2-6 7-6 (7-5) (11/9) a unique scoreline to mark one of the most extraordinary matches of the 37-year-old Murray’s career, even though we are now past the point where, logically, it should have come to an end.
We should have known better than to write Murray off, to dismiss a competitor whose entire existence has been built by determination and perseverance and the refusal to ever be beaten. If anyone knows anything about recovery acts, it’s Murray. With 11 wins from two sets down, more than anyone in tennis history, the Scot produced another defiant escape on smaller scale. Except, never had Murray played with such a sense of finality on the line. In recent weeks, Murray has accepted that the end had arrived and the time was right to retire. Any of the five match points could have been the final point of his career. Instead, he claimed a memorable win. “It pretty much sums him up,” Evans said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever saved five match points in a row,” Murray realised. “In singles it’s almost impossible to do that, so I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. In my career I’ve turned around a lot of matches I’ve looked unlikely to win or people thought I shouldn’t have won - at times I’ve had that mental toughness, strength that was at times early on in my career was questioned. I’m really proud of that - I always try my best to fight and figure out ways to come through. I certainly couldn’t have done that on my own today – as a team, Evo played his part in that.”
What made the ending even more remarkable was that Murray would have been at peace with the end, too. He had already said goodbye to Wimbledon, bowing out after a defeat alongside his brother Jamie and following an emotional farewell ceremony on Centre Court that celebrated his singles career. That night at Wimbledon, really, was the one that brought closure. In Paris, as Murray struggled to find power with his serve and he and Evans were routinely picked apart over the opening set, this appeared to be the confirmation that his instincts to finally accept that the time was right were correct. “ It’s probably up there in terms of comebacks,” Murray said. “The way we were playing would have not suggested we were able to come back.”
Instead, they will carry on, the tributes postponed. Murray found his roar and his serving improved, he and Evans finding more success at the net. Still limited physically after undergoing back surgery to remove a spinal cyst before Wimbledon, Murray required a huge effort from Evans, a task made even harder by the 34-year-old only finishing his opening singles match two hours before. “It’s something I’ll remember forever,” Evans said. “But it would be amazing if we could go on to do something really special this week. I never thought we’d lost – when he hit that ace at 9-6 I really started to believe.”
Murray’s decision to withdraw from singles, the Olympics format he memorably won twice at London and Rio, reflected the sense that he understood his limitations, and instead wanted to go out by embracing the spirit of the Games. But this final sprinkling of Olympics magic vindicates the desire to go on. Either France’s Ugo Humbert and Arthur Fils or Belgium’s Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen will be their next opponents. There is no perfect way to call time, no method of looking into the future to see the end of the script that has been written for you. But as that final chapter draws ever closer, one of the greatest victories of a historic career will be all the sweeter after Murray got the rarest of glances of his farewell story.
