Wimbledon began its farewell to Andy Murray with emotional tributes to the British star following his mixed doubles defeat to his brother Jamie.
The two Murrays fell 7-6, 6-4 to Australian duo Rinky Hijikata and John Peers in what could be their final appearance on Centre Court.
But the competition itself was secondary to the tributes paid to Murray, who is playing his last Wimbledon, after the match.
Former tennis player and BBC presenter Sue Barker, 68, returned to the court as fans rose to their feet to applaud the two-time champion. Her wife Kim, her two eldest children Sophia, eight, and Edie, six, her mother Judy and father William were among the crowd.
Murray, 37, was visibly emotional as he was shown a video that included messages from the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Andy Murray was visibly emotional as the crowd paid tribute to him on Centre Court.
Murray bids farewell to Wimbledon as he nears the end of a glittering tennis career
Murray’s wife Kim and two of his children, Sophia, eight, and Edie, six, were among the crowd on Centre Court.
Sue Barker came out of retirement to lead tributes to Murray, 37, after his doubles defeat
Fans gave Murray, who has withdrawn from the singles but will play the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu, a standing ovation as the British star wiped tears from his eyes during his on-court interview with Barker.
Tennis greats such as Djokovic, Tim Henman, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Lleyton Hewitt were also present.
Murray hilariously revealed that he vomited in a taxi after his Wimbledon win in 2016 and threw up twice the first time his future wife came to watch him play. He also said he spoke of “almost throwing away his chance” with Kim when she asked for his email address.
“I don’t remember much about that night,” he said. “I had a few drinks. Unfortunately I threw up in the taxi on the way home.”
The first time Kim saw him in person, at the 2005 US Open, she said: ‘I threw up twice in that match, once right in front of where she was sitting and I got up and threw up on my opponent’s racket bag.
‘But I still seemed to like her, so I knew she was my match after that.’
Murray also spoke candidly about his Wimbledon triumphs, Olympic gold and loss to Roger Federer in the 2012 final in his conversation with Barker.
“It’s always very difficult to talk after a defeat, particularly after a Grand Slam final and being at Wimbledon,” he said of the loss to Federer.
Barker joked that he was “not going to miss this” as he returned to lead the tributes.
A host of tennis legends were on Centre Court to bid farewell to two-time champion Murray
Murray shared a warm hug with his brother Jamie after his defeat in the men’s doubles event.
“It was the closest I ever got and it was obviously difficult. It was a very important moment in my career.
‘I’m not saying I’m the most outgoing or cheerful person, but I think people probably saw for the first time how much I cared about sport.
“It was obviously an important game and an important moment in my career.”
A few weeks later, Murray avenged his heartbreaking loss to Federer by beating the Swiss maestro on the same court to win Olympic gold at London 2012.
“It was definitely the most important week of my life up until that point,” he added.
“To be able to turn things around after losing the Wimbledon final and then come here and play was one of the best days I’ve ever had, certainly as an athlete.
“Playing at a home Olympics at Wimbledon, beating Roger for once in a big match was great and then I had a great performance in the mixed doubles with Laura Robson as well, so yeah, it was an amazing week for me.”
Murray was forced to withdraw from the singles on Monday with a back injury, to the dismay of many British fans.
But the Scottish star, who underwent spinal surgery just 12 days ago, has committed to playing with his brother Jamie and the mixed doubles with Raducanu.
