Andy Murray’s impending retirement was a decision he had to take because he is “suffering”, says long-time rival Rafael Nadal.
The 31-year-old Briton announced on Friday that he will quit this year, and next week’s Australian Open could be the final tournament of his career.
“When you are going on court without a clear goal because you cannot move well and you have pain, then it is the time to take a decision,” Nadal said.
It seems like he had not a very long career because today players are playing that long. But 10 years ago, if he retired at 31, we would say he had a great and very long career
Nadal, 32, knows more than most players what it is like to battle injury having had a catalogue of serious problems over the years, with his knees and wrists in particular.
But the Spaniard, a 17-time Grand Slam singles champion, says he has never “arrived” at the point of feeling he had to quit the sport.
“I always had the feeling that we’ll fix it,” said the world number two, who begins his Australian Open campaign against home wildcard James Duckworth on Monday.
“But, of course, there are periods of time that you don’t see the light. It is tough.
“I know it is hard mentally. It is tough when you have one thing, then another thing.
“Andy has probably been fighting to keep going for a long time. If he doesn’t feel that the injury can become better, he has probably done the right thing for his mental health.” Jonathan Jurejko BBC Sport
State of MInd would like to wish Andy Murray all the very best wishes whatever he decides in 2019