Tennis legends pay emotional tribute to Andy Murray after Australian open defeat

Andy Murray is a sporting legend.

Last week the world’s heart collectively broke a little as we watched the tennis star tearfully announcing that the Australian Open, taking place over the next two weeks in Melbourne, might be his final tournament.

Andy took to the court, possibly for the last time, for a dramatic match with Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. In typical Murray fashion, the match featured several dramatic momentum shifts before, of course, going to five sets.

Ultimately, after so long away from the game, the match ended in defeat. We do not yet know whether this may be the last time we see Murray on court, as he expressed doubts that his ongoing hip injury would allow him to bow out at Wimbledon later this year.

After an emotional post-match interview, which saw Murray once again choking back tears, a video was played to the stadium which showed tennis players thanking Murray for his contribution to the sport.

Let’s just say, we had a little something in our eye while watching it.

During the video, Roger Federer said:

You've done Scotland proud, Britain proud, you're a 'sir' - who can say that? But you did it.

Novak Djokovic remembered the first time he and Murray played each other, aged just twelve years old, where Andy "kicked his butt".

Clay court legend Rafael Nadal said:

It's very sad that you have to take this decision, but sometimes life is not perfect. I just want to say thanks for all you have given to our sport.

Female players, such as Karolina Pliskova and Caroline Wozniacki, also praised Murray’s support for female athletes. There were also appearances from Nick Kyrgious and Sloane Stephens.

Across social media, praise flew in for Murray.

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