On Thursday night, when I was in the locker room with Andy Murray, I felt very strange. I had tears in my eyes because he is a good friend of mine and it was very sad to say goodbye to him.
It always takes Andy a little longer to get to the showers because he has so many interview requests, so my wife, his mother and I waited a while for him to come off the court.
It’s not Andy’s style to make too much noise, so there was no popping of champagne. We just gave him a big round of applause, took some team photos and opened a bottle of Coca-Cola.
The physiotherapist came to attend to him and Andy started joking around. “You can’t touch me anymore Shane… it’s over,” he said with his typically wry humour. There was a lot of laughter and it was nice to see that.
For a while now, Andy has been at peace with the fact that this is the end. He’s more sad about losing the match than the fact that it’s his last time on the court. As a friend, it’s nice to see that he’s in a good place and ready for the next step.
Dan Evans (right) teamed up with Andy Murray (left) in the Scot’s final match of his career this week.
Murray, 37, withdrew from Roland Garros when he and Evans lost to Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz.
We felt very loved during the 10 days we were in Paris and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Winning our second match against the Belgians, coming back in the super tie-break… I don’t think I’ll ever feel that feeling again.
I felt numb when I went to shake his hand, I couldn’t feel my legs. It was the kind of excitement you get when you’re a kid.
After losing to the Americans on Thursday, we got in a car back to the Olympic Village. I felt emotionally drained. Doubles is something very foreign to both of us, but we always find a way to win. Down one set and 4-1, it was the first time I had a jovial conversation with Andy on a tennis court. I said, “It would be crazy if we managed to get this match back.” He laughed and said, “Come on, let’s enjoy this now.”
Tennis was forgotten and we felt like two friends playing for the love of the sport. We stopped talking about tactics and did the best we could. We didn’t go away quietly and I’m proud of that.
Attitude and work ethic can take you a long way and I think our run was a clear example of that. Andy could do everything – a great serve, a first-class volley – but he was always brave. His game plan was his ability on the court and when people told him to do things differently, he always stood his ground.
Both Murray and Evans shed tears as they shared a hug after the match at Roland Garros.
An emotional Murray was pictured waving as he left the court after the final match of his career.
Sharing those emotions with Andy is something I never thought would happen. We were walking to the car from the locker room and I just said, “Fuck, this is a different feeling than before.”
I had nothing left, neither physically nor emotionally. It wasn’t our best game, but we fought until the last point, so we can’t have too many regrets.
Back at the Village, we shared a pizza before going to sleep. That was it. There was no big party.
I was still feeling pretty down at breakfast, but Andy was talking about what we could have done differently in the match. You won’t find anyone who loves tennis as much as he does.
All the athletes were told to meet downstairs in the Team GB hall at 11.15am on Friday and there were some speeches. Adam Peaty was there wearing an anti-COVID face mask and was asked to present Andy with a commemorative silver badge for competing in five Olympic Games.
Despite losing on Thursday, Murray and Evans still produced some moments of magic in Paris
Murray bid farewell to tennis at Roland Garros with five Olympic rings behind him
It was a lovely moment and I’m sure the badge will look good alongside the other 60 or 70 he has collected over the last week.
We had a little heart-to-heart about what’s next. A lot of people will be coming up to him in the next few days to tell him what a great race he’s had. I’m not sure how much he’ll enjoy it! It’s going to be quite a strange feeling for him.
Before we parted ways, we talked about going home and getting back to the real world. For me, that’s a bit of recovery after the sprained ankle, before thinking about the US Open in a few weeks and the Davis Cup.
For Andy, it’s time to look after his number one. I think he’ll be a good coach one day, but not yet. He’s been carrying the nation’s hopes on his shoulders for years and now it’s time to relax, play golf and look after his family. He always FaceTimes his kids, but now he can be a full-time dad.
British tennis now has some very big shoes to fill. Andy did what others couldn’t. He broke into the Big Three and became a towering figure in British sport. He spoke up for people who didn’t have a voice and wasn’t afraid to put himself in uncomfortable situations. He stood up for equal pay and challenged the people others feared, on and off the court.
Murray won three Grand Slam singles titles during his career, including Wimbledon twice.
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He has a big heart and I’m proud to have been there with him when it all came to an end.
We hugged on Friday and after lunch I headed to the airport to catch a flight back to Birmingham. These last 10 days have been like a dream and it’s something I will never forget.
