Highs
Summer of 2012: Only a month after his tearful fourth Grand Slam final loss to Roger Federer at Wimbledon, Murray gained redemption in spectacular fashion by emphatically defeating the Swiss to claim Olympic gold on Centre Court. He followed it up at the US Open by ending the long wait for a British male grand slam singles champion with a dramatic five-set victory over Novak Djokovic.
First Wimbledon: The victory that will always be top of the pile came on a glorious summer’s day at the All England Club. Murray faced Djokovic again in front of an expectant crowd on Centre Court and rode the wave to finally consign Fred Perry to history, surviving a nerve-jangling final game.
Davis Cup glory: Wimbledon was Murray’s crowning individual glory but arguably his most extraordinary accomplishment was winning the Davis Cup for Britain almost single-handed. His brother Jamie and James Ward chipped in but Murray won an unprecedented 11 out of 12 rubbers across four ties.
2016 Wimbledon and Olympics: After reuniting with Ivan Lendl, Murray swept to his third slam title at Wimbledon beating Milos Raonic. And a month later he made some history for himself, overcoming Juan Martin Del Potro in Rio to become the first tennis player to successfully defend an Olympic singles title.
Lows
Knee trouble: Murray feared his career might be over before it began when knee pain interrupted his training in Spain at the age of 16. He was diagnosed with a bipartite patella but was able to manage it effectively.
Back surgery: Murray’s first time under the knife came in 2013 when he decided a troublesome back problem needed to be fixed by surgery. The Scot was only sidelined for three months but it took him a long time to fully recover.
Lendl split: While Murray was working his way back in 2014, he was dealt a major body blow when mentor Lendl decided he no longer wanted to continue their relationship. Their reunion in 2016 helped the Scot win more of the sport’s biggest prizes.
Hip pain: The low that overshadowed all the rest began after the French Open in 2017, when Murray found he was no longer able to recover from chronic hip pain that he had been managing. A resurfacing operation in 2019 that coated the joint in metal eventually allowed him to return.
Losing run: Murray pushed on through his mid-30s determined that he could still match the best and achieve his goals. But that belief gradually drained away and a run of nine defeats from 10 matches at the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024 was the worst of his career.
(PA Media/DPA)