British tennis icon Andy Murray has bid a tearful farewell to Wimbledon for the final time.
Murray, along with his brother Jamie Murray, lost 0-2 (6-7<6-8> 4-6) to Australia's John Pierce and Rinki Hijikata in their first round men's doubles match at the All England Club in London, England, on Friday (June 5).
Murray, who underwent back surgery last month and was expected to miss this year's Wimbledon, was eager to compete after announcing his retirement this year.
He had planned to compete in the men's singles match on the third day of the tournament, but withdrew after realizing that he was not in a position to play a five-set match.
After losing the match, Murray said he was leaving Wimbledon in tears to a standing ovation from the entire crowd.
A video of Murray's career played on a large screen inside the stadium, and the thousands of people in attendance honored him with a standing ovation.
In addition to his family - parents, wife and children - Murray was joined by fellow tennis greats Novak Djokovic (Serbia), Martina Navratilova (Czech Republic), John McEnroe (Germany) and Iga Swartek (Poland).
"I don't know if I deserve this applause, but I think (today) is a good ending for me," Murray said as he took the microphone.
"I love tennis, I want to play on the court forever, but I feel it's too hard for me physically now," he said, thanking his family, teammates, and fans.
"This tournament was a battle against the years, it was a physically demanding match," he said, adding that he was happy to be with his brother Jamie once again.
Murray is a two-time Wimbledon champion and has long been considered a tennis legend alongside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal (Spain), and Roger Federer (Switzerland).
In 2013, he became the first British player to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 77 years, 고스톱사이트 and he repeated the feat in 2016.
He won back-to-back men's singles gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and was knighted by the British royal family.
More than 10,000 fans lined up at the stadium to watch the Murray brothers play. Many people stayed up all night in front of the stadium to get tickets.
Murray will also compete in the mixed doubles event alongside US Open champion Emma Raducanu (Great Britain) on July 7. Following Wimbledon, Murray plans to retire after the Paris 2024 Olympics, which begin this month.
