Scot made up for challenge of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic by working harder, ultimately earning him three grand slam titles

Nineteen years after taking his first steps in the Wimbledon main draw as a hopeful, precocious teenager already surrounded by suffocating hype, Andy Murray’s unprecedented grand slam singles career has come to an end. On Tuesday, he announced his withdrawal from the men’s singles draw at his final Wimbledon due to a persistent back injury.

Murray had been scheduled to face Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening, the latest possible slot on Centre Court, but after undergoing back surgery only 10 days earlier, he was simply unable to recover enough to be competitive across the best of five sets, despite making massive strides.