Murray’s farewell  gets off with doubles defeat 

UK (Commonwealth) _Andy Murray’s final Wimbledon match began with a rough start on Thursday when he and his older brother Jamie were eliminated from the men’s doubles in the first round by Australian duo Rinky Hijikata and John Peers, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Andy Murray, whose movement was obviously restricted by back injury, had to depend on his serve game to struggle through the straight-set loss that might force him to play one more match in the tournament.

Due to a spinal cyst surgery that left him with less sensation in his right leg, the two-time Wimbledon singles champion withdrew from his first-round singles match on Tuesday.

But when Murray decided to play in the doubles with his brother, fans at the All England Club became very excited about the possibility of witnessing the legendary British tennis player compete in the championships one last time.

A boisterous home crowd enthusiastically greeted the British pair as they entered Centre Court, setting the stage for the first men’s doubles opening-round encounter to be played on the main show court since 1995.

Murray initially reached for his back at the conclusion of the second game, having won the first with a strong drive down the center. He flinched in agony and seized every chance to extend his back between points.

Murray, who has been struggling with fitness, came close to winning the opening break of the match in the fifth game when Hijikata’s service resulted in a nice forehand down the line that set up deuce, but the Australians held.

The two couples swapped games and required a tiebreak to decide who would win. The Murrays had a 6-5 set point lead until Hijikata put the British on the back foot with a forehand down the line past Jamie Murray and a volley down the center.

Jamie Murray, a two-time doubles Grand Slam winner, earned the opening break of serve by lurching up to the net and returning a shot, and returning a volley beyond the reach of Hijikata and Peers.

However, in the seventh game, the Australian team came back to take a 4-3 lead that appeared to shake the British players’ resolve. And that’s exactly what happened, as Hijikata and Peers won the last several games to advance the Murrays into the second round.

When questioned by the media about his feelings on playing doubles with his brother, Andy replied, “Yeah, it was definitely really special.” We had never before had the opportunity to do it. This year, there was an opportunity.

“He asked me since Jamie’s regular partner was playing with Neal Skupski. Physically, it wasn’t easy today, and it was definitely a race against time to try and get out here, but I’m delighted we were able to make it here and enjoy this one-time experience together.”

After Wimbledon administrators revealed on Wednesday that he and fellow Brit Emma Raducanu had received a wild-card entry into the mixed doubles draw, Andy Murray is scheduled to return to action later this week. On Friday, the mixed doubles competition gets underway.

Additionally, he plans to continue playing professional tennis after Wimbledon. Murray intends to make his farewell appearance in the Paris Olympics, which begin later this summer, despite having stated that he will retire this summer. After losing to his brother Jamie in the men’s doubles, Andy Murray was celebrated on Centre Court with a unique memorial ceremony that marked his bittersweet departure to Wimbledon. In front of Murray’s relatives and peers, Sue Barker oversaw the career celebration. Murray is a two-time Wimbledon winner.

The 37-year-old was seen by his spouse Kim, his two oldest kids, Sophia, age eight, and Edie, age six, together with their parents Willie and Judy. Murray’s biggest competitors, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, participated in a video message.

Murray went to face his teammates and broke down in tears as he told Barker that he wanted to “play forever” on the floor.

“It is difficult because I want I could play all the time, but I can’t. It’s just too hard physically right now. As I mentioned before, the total number of injuries has increased and they are not trivial. “I wish to play all the time. I adore playing this sport. I’ve learned a ton of valuable things from it throughout the years that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It’s difficult as I don’t want to quit,” he said.