America’s young tennis star
Coco Gauff has heaped praise on
the former world number one
Andy Murray and believes his real legacy is
that he is just a ‘fighter’. The 37-year-old is often regarded as the best player
in the men’s category from Great Britain in tennis in the Open era.
Despite his on-field achievements, Murray struggled throughout
his career with his fitness and it was because of this reason, he announced retirement
back in 2018. However, the Glasgow-born star returned to the court few months later and has continued to play until now.
Recently, Murray has suggested that he is finally
coming towards the end of his career. He even hinted that he is considering
retirement after the
Wimbledon 2024 and Paris Olympics. However, the former
world number one suffered a major blow as he was ruled out of the ongoing Grand
Slam after failing to recover from back surgery.
Murray suffered a back injury during the Queen’s ATP
Championship, which also forced him to withdraw from that competition. It was
not the first injury he sustained this year. Earlier, he also suffered an ankle
injury, which ruled him out of action for two months.
Gauff, now regarded as one of the best players in
women’s tennis in the singles category, was quoted in a report where she heaped
praise on Murray and stated that his legacy will always be that he is a ‘fighter’.
The 20-year-old also expressed disappointment after not seeing Murray play one
more time in the singles category at Wimbledon.
"I think his legacy is that he’s just a fighter,” she said. “The
most inspiration I have for him is no matter what court he’s playing, whether
it’s Centre Court here or an ITF, he’s putting 100% effort into that. It’s
really unfortunate that he couldn’t get one last healthy match out here because
he definitely deserves to end his career on his terms. I hope the doubles goes
well with his brother. He’s an icon of the sport and he’s had an incredible
career that a lot of people dream of.”