Andy Murray has spoken out for the first time after his tennis career ended in defeat at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The iconic Scotsman bows out as one of the greatest British tennis players to have graced the game, having won three Grand Slam titles and two Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016.

Murray has been the face of British tennis since making his debut in 2005, but the Dunblane-born star joked that he didn’t even like tennis after stepping away from the game at the age of 37.

Taking to social media, Murray tweeted via his X account: “Never even liked tennis anyway.”

In addition to this, Murray changed his profile to reflect his new retirement status. He previously had the very blunt and simple: “I play tennis” to represent his extraordinary career.

But after sending the tweet, which had been viewed over two million times by fans on X, Murray changed it to say: “I played tennis.”

The remark perfectly encompassed Murray’s dry humour and hilarious persona on social media, with the veteran Briton a popular figure with fans for his commentary on the game.

But Murray cut a very different expression on the clay court at Roland Garros in the immediate aftermath of his defeat with doubles partner Dan Evans, which ended their dream of taking home a medal from the Olympic Games in Paris.

Murray and Evans had saved five match points in their first round match against Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori, before needing to fight back from the brink against Joran Vliegen and Sander Gille.

But up against the American duo of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, they found it too difficult a task as Murray and Evans succumbed to a 6-2, 6-4 defeat, despite their best efforts.

Emotions began to overflow at Roland Garros as the crowd chanted Murray’s name and he embraced Evans with a hug. The three-time Major winner struggled to hold back his tears before walking off court for the final time. But his hilarious message proves he can find humour even in the saddest moments.

With a message to the fans, Murray said after his match: “A huge, huge thank you to all of the support. I felt that a lot, in the past few in particularly, whether in the UK or around the world the support has been amazing.

“That’s one of the things which I will hugely miss. Playing in front of them and in front of a public that are getting right behind you and engaging with them in the matches is something I have really enjoyed a huge thank to everyone who has supported me through the journey.