Anyone for tennis? Just like Murray, you're never too old

Well, that’s that, then. Sir Andy Murray’s farewell tour has come to an end. On Thursday, the Scot and his partner Dan Evans were knocked out of the Olympic men’s doubles by American duo Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. The score was 6-2 6-4. In professional tennis, that’s about as routine as it gets.

- CHRISTOPHER R MOORE

After Murray and Evans’ heroics in the previous rounds – which saw them save match points and win audacious tie breaks – this result felt heavy with anticlimax. Most sporting careers end in failure, of course, but there was something almost indecent about watching Murray – a knight of the realm, a grand slam and Olympic champion – lose for the final time in the cramped, boxy conditions of Court Suzanne Lenglen in front of grandstands scattered with empty seats.

Predictably, Murray had no time for this sort of sorrowing. “I feel good,” he said in a post-match interview with BBC Sport, “I’ve been ready for this moment for the last few months.” Standing next to him, Evans said nothing and looked on the edge of tears. “I feel lucky that I was able to come and compete here,” said Murray, in a voice as sturdy and level as a block of Glasgow sandstone, “but yeah, I’m looking forward to stopping now.”

It is a very Murray manoeuvre to resist the kind of easy sentimentality that usually accompanies the retirement of a beloved athlete. Indeed, he seemed a little embarrassed at the fuss being made – and the tears being shed – over him.