Murray to Retire in 2019

By: Ibrahim El-Shawarby

CAIRO, Jan.11 (SEE)- Andy Murray announced Friday that he would retire after this year’s Wimbledon Open, after dealing with a drastic hip injury that has haunted him since 2016.

Murray said that his decision to end his playing career this year had come during his off-season training in December.

“I spoke to my team, and I told them, ‘I cannot keep doing this,’” Murray said in an emotional news conference in Melbourne. “I needed to have an end point because I was sort of playing with no idea when the pain was going to stop. I felt like making that decision.

The British player has always been know with his unique physical abilities, which earned him a reputation as one of the hardest-working players of his generation. He is popular among his peers for an off-court affability that provided a striking contrast from his often ornery on-court demeanor.

Murray, became the first British male singles champion at a Grand Slam tournament in 76 years when he won the United States Open in 2012. He won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 and won Olympic gold medals in singles in 2012 and 2016. Murray reached the ATP’s No. 1 ranking for the first time at the end of the 2016 season, holding on to it through Wimbledon the next year.