When he thinks that this could be his last Wimbledon, his already hoarse voice breaks and he can barely hold back the tears. “I want the opportunity to play here one more time, maybe on Centre Court. And feel that thrill again,” says Andy Murray. He hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll be able to play at Wimbledon, for that he’ll have to wait until tomorrow night after the last training sessions, the last tests. If it were up to him, however, the 37-year-old two-time champion on London grass would be on the court on Tuesday in the first round against Czech Tomas Machac. And beyond.
wait
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“It’s been a tough 10 days since Queen’s, obviously with the back operation which was important – he says, his voice hoarse and his gaze in the distance to not lose concentration -. I’ve done everything I could to be ready for the start of the tournament, but I still don’t know if it will be enough. I’ve trained in the last few days, I’ll do it tomorrow too, but I still don’t feel 100% in my leg and in general, even if it’s improving day by day. Tomorrow I’ll play another set, I’ll do some physical tests to better understand what condition I’m in, then tomorrow evening I’ll make a decision”. Murray is in a race against time to play Wimbledon, not only in singles but also in doubles with his brother Jamie (first round against the Australians Hijikata and Peeres). The back operation was necessary to remove a cyst that was compressing the nerve in his right leg: the baronet still has stitches in his back, but the real problem is how his leg responds. “It’s like when you fall asleep on your arm and when you wake up it’s all numb and you need time to regain mobility,” he said. “With the leg it’s more or less the same, although the effect lasts longer. And it’s impossible to know how long it will take to regain full mobility. I hope that with each passing day the chances of me playing increase, but at the same time I also want to be able to do it at an acceptable level, not like at Queen’s where it wasn’t competitive.”
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last dance
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Murray knows that his career is coming to an end, that this is his last Wimbledon as a player and for this reason he wants to do everything to be there. “Last year I didn’t think it would be my last, I was convinced that I would stay on the tour: this year, however, that is not the plan – he explained -. I’m not sure what I want as a farewell, what I expect. I know that I want the opportunity to play here one last time, in a place that has been very good to me over the years. Everyone has their idea of how to end their career, mine probably includes Wimbledon and the Olympics, but I don’t know exactly yet. I definitely want to play here, I want to do everything I can to make it happen: maybe later I won’t think it was a good idea, but now it’s what I want to do, because my career is ending and I want to play Wimbledon one last time”. Wimbledon, where he won in 2013 and 2016, awaits him for a final farewell. Right leg permitting, of course.
