• Scot says he cannot play to the level he wants
• Murray loses in Wimbledon doubles with brother Jamie

Andy Murray says the time has come to shut the door on his illustrious career after he and his brother, Jamie, were defeated in the first round of the men’s doubles at his final Wimbledon.

“I’m ready to finish playing because I can’t play to the level that I would want to any more,” he said. “That’s something that I guess is a bit out of my control. If I knew my body was going to be able to do it, I would play – there’s nothing about the sport that I hate and I’m like, I don’t want to do it any more for this reason. I like the travelling. I love the competition, practising, trying to get better, all those things. Yeah, I know that it’s time now. I’m ready for that.”

• Brothers beaten by Rinky Hijikata and John Peers
• Australian pair win 7-6 (6), 6-4 on Centre Court

Andy and Jamie Murray spent their formative childhood years ­playing tennis at their local tennis club in Dunblane, where their mother, Judy, was the club coach. They were often the youngest players on the court and as they grew into the sport, ­sharpening their tools against ­bigger and stronger opponents, they were sustained by dreams of one day ­making it all the way to Wimbledon.

After years of surpassing those dreams many times, for the first time in their careers Andy and Jamie ­competed on the same side of the net at Wimbledon as Andy began his long, emotional farewell to ­Wimbledon after 19 incredible years. Despite the strong opposition they put up with Andy’s considerable limitations, Andy and Jamie Murray were defeated 7-6 (6), 6-4 by Rinky Hijikata and John Peers in the dying light on Centre Court.

Briton will face Maria Sakkari for the first time since her victory in the US Open semi-final three years ago

Maria Sakkari entered Arthur Ashe Stadium for her 2021 US Open semi-final in the middle of a career-­defining breakout season. A few months earlier, she had been a point away from the French Open final before freezing under pressure and suffering a heartbreaking loss to Barbora Krejcikova. Still, she picked herself back up and showed her resilience by reaching another major semi-final in New York, where a massive opportunity presented itself for whoever was bold enough to take it.

As she faced off against Emma Raducanu at Flushing Meadows, Sakkari was again struck by nerves. She started the contest dressed in a skirt that was a size too large and while she was preoccupied by her outfit in the early stages, fiddling with it and repeatedly complaining to her team, a cold-blooded Raducanu seized the moment, easing to a 6-1, 6-4 win and never looked back.

• World No 1 beats fellow Italian 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (4)
• Carlos Alcaraz beats Aleksandar Vukic in straight sets

Matteo Berrettini’s run through the Wimbledon draw to his maiden grand slam final in 2021 felt like a significant moment. Even though he lost to Novak Djokovic in the decisive match, Berrettini had already established himself as one Italy’s finest tennis players. After his defeat, Berrettini travelled straight from Wimbledon to Wembley where spent that night and the following days toasting to his success with the Italian team that had conquered Euro 2020.

Three years later, Berrettini’s success is a distant memory, a consequence of injuries, miserable luck and the flourishing greatness of his brilliant opponent on Centre Court. Jannik Sinner, who became the first ever Italian ATP No 1 last month, has since taken tennis in their country to unprecedented heights and on Wednesday afternoon, he reinforced the new status quo in a tense, high-quality tussle by producing three flawless tie-breaks under pressure to defeat Berrettini 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (4) and reach the third round.

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.