Andy Murray fights back tears in final farewell to fans after Olympic doubles defeat

Andy Murray held back tears as he waved goodbye to tennis at the Paris Olympics .

The Scottish star’s defiance finally ran out on Thursday night (1 August) as his stellar career ended with defeat alongside Dan Evans in the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles.

Twenty-one years after his first professional match and 19 since he announced his talent to the world at Wimbledon as a wild-haired teenager with a huge heart, Murray’s hopes of a medal-winning swansong evaporated in a 6-2 6-4 loss to American third seeds Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

And so concludes one of the great British sporting innings, with the 37-year-old breaking the mould by winning two Wimbledon titles and a US Open crown as well as starring for his country at the Olympics and in the Davis Cup.