Andy Murray has thanked Wimbledon organisers for an “emotional” farewell ceremony after his final appearance began with a defeat alongside older brother Jamie in the men’s doubles.
The two-time singles champion will play at the All England Club for the last time before retiring later this year.
After the match, a video of Murray’s career was projected on the giant screen on Centre Court, leaving the former world number one in tears as thousands of fans showed their appreciation with prolonged applause.
“I think it’s a good ending. I don’t know if I deserve it or not, but they did a really, really good job,” said Murray, who won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016.
The Murray brothers arrived on a packed Centre Court to a standing ovation.
Another came moments after they lost 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to Australian pair John Peers and Rinky Hijikata.
Murray’s parents Judy and Will, his wife Kim and two of his daughters watched as former BBC presenter Sue Barker led a moving ceremony shortly afterwards.
Murray thanked his family, members of his team over the years and fans for their continued support.
“It’s difficult because I want to keep playing but I can’t,” Murray said on court.
“Physically it’s very hard now. I want to play forever. I love this sport.”
Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe and Iga Swiatek applauded from the sidelines, along with British players Dan Evans, Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie.
Murray is due to return later this week, having signed up for the mixed doubles with fellow British Grand Slam champion Emma Raducanu.
“It was obviously very special to play with Jamie, we hadn’t had the opportunity to do that before,” said Murray, who won the first of his three major titles at the 2012 US Open.
“It was a race against time to get here and it wasn’t easy physically, but I’m glad we were able to do it together once.”
Why Wimbledon means so much to Murray
Wimbledon has been the scene of many of Murray’s career-defining moments and the emotional ties are why he fought so hard to play one last time.
Murray’s chances of achieving one last hurrah were seriously in doubt.
A back problem caused him to lose power and feeling in his right leg during a match at Queen’s three weeks ago.
The only option was an operation on June 22 to remove a cyst near his spine, but it left Murray in a race against time to get back into shape.
Finally, after leaving the decision until the night before her singles match scheduled for Tuesday, she realized with great regret that a five-set match was not possible.
Going out alongside Jamie, 38, in the shorter doubles format was the next best thing.
The plan, which was initially put in place around the French Open at the end of May, has become a reality.
A first-round match in men’s doubles has not been played on Centre Court since 1995.
This occasion could not have been scheduled anywhere else.
Murray reached his first Wimbledon final in 2012, losing to Roger Federer in a four-set match that left him in tears and changed public perception of him.
Redemption came when she won Olympic singles gold on the same court against the same opponent four weeks later.
A year later, Murray ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men’s singles champion by beating world number one Djokovic in a moment of national celebration.
Another triumph at the All England Club came in 2016, which he says he enjoyed most.
After both victories, Murray walked back down the marble halls of Centre Court, as tradition dictates, and was given a guard of honour before stepping out onto the balcony to greet the adoring fans below.
Murray again performed the same ceremonial walk on Thursday night.
Although Murray had not won the trophy again, it was the only worthy farewell (so to speak) for a player who has led British tennis with distinction.
How an emotional day went
Talk of the Super Murray Bros dominated day four of this year’s Championship.
Wimbledon’s famous queue, where fans camp out overnight to get one of the limited first-come, first-serve tickets for the following day, grew to a line of 11,000 by mid-morning.
The Murraynators were there, of course. A group of die-hard fans, who travelled across the world to see their hero, slept rough in Wimbledon Park and were rewarded with tickets to Centre Court.
If you weren’t there with a tent and sleeping bag, your alarm had to be set for a time when clubs normally close.
Inside the All England Club, fans not lucky enough to get a court ticket gathered on Henman Hill (sorry, Murray Mound). Hundreds of people had been in position throughout the day with picnics and blankets.
Back in the centre, fans took a breather after women’s top seed Swiatek claimed a straight-sets victory at around 18:30 BST.
Then the change of scenery began. The net and the posts for singles were torn down, and the longer version for doubles was replaced.
A half-hour change allowed the atmosphere to bubble as family and friends of the Murrays took their seats.
Andy’s wife Kim was joined by their daughters and mother Judy at her side. His father Will had travelled from Scotland to witness the event.
Andy Murray insisted the brothers were not playing just for show and said they had a good chance of winning the match and going deep in the tournament.
The game did not turn out as they expected.
It was clear from the third game that the younger Murray brother was struggling with his movement.
However, his “will to win” – which has become the epitaph of his tennis career – has not diminished.
The usual teeth-grinding and fist-pumping gestures were on display, as were growls directed at his team.
Unfortunately, his body wasn’t working the way his mind wanted it to. That’s been a recurring theme for the past five and a half years.
At the 2019 Australian Open, Murray broke down at a press conference when he said he thought he would have to retire later that year due to a hip injury.
No individual player had ever returned to professional tennis after surface resurfacing surgery.
The ever-cool Murray didn’t just come back. He came back and won an ATP Tour title later that year. More memorable Grand Slam moments followed.
But he was unable to regain the level that made him one of the best players of his generation.
“The injuries have been tough, pretty significant injuries,” he said.
“We’ve worked really hard just to be on the court competing, probably not at the level any of us wanted, but we tried.”