Although British tennis star Andy Murray has made it known he will be hanging up his racket after the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the two-time Olympic gold medalist may be denied an emotional sendoff similar to his final match at Wimbledon.
The former World No.1 was given an emotional reception in his final match at the Wimbledon Championships earlier this month but it seems he will not receive a farewell ceremony at the Olympics. Tennis bosses have already confessed that their hands may be tied by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who could prevent Murray from being honored with a wholesome retirement ceremony.
International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty hinted at the ITF convincing Murray to participate at this year's Davis Cup event, allowing him to receive a retirement ceremony worthy of his contributions to the sport.
"We have had conversations regarding some of our other competitions, like the Davis Cup," said Haggerty. "And you know, we'd like to work with the players and do something that they feel is appropriate and right. So I don't have the final answer for you on that, but we certainly would like to celebrate some of the legends of our game. A lot will come down to, you know, what Andy himself would like to do."
Kelly Fairweather, CEO of the ITF went on to explain that the IOC is unlikely to grant permission for Murray to be honored during his final professional tournament in Paris.
"If you’re asking about Paris, we obviously fall under the direction of the IOC, and generally the IOC don't do that for any athlete across the Games," said Fairweather. "So as Dave says, we'll be looking to do that at one of our events."