Andy Murray’s mum Judy Murray responds to retirement rumours after Wimbledon refusal

Judy Murray has denied that her son Andy is planning to hang up his racket after his dramatic exit at Wimbledon.

The resilient Scot, who won the title twice, beat American Ryan Peniston in the first round at SW19, before pushing fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to the limit. The match lasted two days, with Murray leading 2-1 in sets before the Greek star came back to win a five set thriller.

It has been six years since Murray, 36, reached the second week of his home grand slam, which he triumphed in 2013 and 2016. His comeback to top level tennis is remarkable given the hip surgery he had in 2019, but the loss to Tsitsipas sparked speculation about his future.

After the match, the three-time Grand Slam champion did not say if his defeat to Tsitsipas was his final appearance on the grass of Wimbledon. This caused many fans to worry that he was about to retire.

But his biggest fan has now dismissed such rumours. Mum Judy was in the crowd for both of his matches at Wimbledon, and also watched her older son Jamie as he teamed up with Michael Venus to reach the quarter finals of the men’s doubles.

“They [Andy and Jamie] still love it,” she told The Telegraph. “They love the battle. They love the sport. I wouldn’t have imagined I’d still be going with them, but it’s what they want to do. And for as long as they want to do it they’ll keep going.

“Who knows how much longer? But when you saw the performance Andy put up the other day against the world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, when he’s got a metal hip and four kids, it’s unreal what he’s come through.”

The legend himself has previously talked about the need to plan for life after tennis, without giving a clear indication of when he will retire from the sport. Speaking to British Airways High Life magazine, he said: “I’m looking for something that I’m really excited about and that I want to work really hard at to achieve a specific goal. One area that fits that bill is coaching, but not necessarily in tennis.”

The US Open, where Murray won his first Slam title in 2012, starts in late August, with Murray yet to announce his plans to take part. The Scot has managed his schedule in recent years, choosing to skip the French Open this year to prepare for Wimbledon.