NOT KEANE
Man Utd legend Roy Keane gives brutally honest verdict on Andy Murray after emotional Wimbledon farewell
Ian Wright makes bold claim about Arsenal fan
ROY KEANE gave a typically-brutal verdict on Andy Murray following his emotional Wimbledon farewell.
Murray, 37, waved goodbye to his home Major last week.
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He teamed up with brother Jamie in the men's doubles, losing in round one.
Murray, who is set to retire at the Paris Olympics, was denied a final goodbye in the mixed doubles when Emma Raducanu pulled out hours before they were due to take to the court.
However, the tennis icon was given a superb send-off by his beloved Centre Court crowd on Thursday night as Sue Barker returned to interview a tearful Murray in front of his family and a host of the sport's legends.
Keane, though, was not exactly feeling nostalgic or compassionate as Gary Neville brought up the topic of the two-time Wimbledon champ's retirement on the latest Stick To Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, filmed in Germany during Euro 2024.
The Irish hardman said: “Andy Murray retiring from tennis isn’t sad news at all.
“He’s 37 years old, had a brilliant career but had plenty of injuries, so he should count his blessings that he’s had such a successful career.
“He must have been crying… although it’s okay to cry. That’s not sad news. It’s good news. He’s got a lovely family. Good luck to him.
“He had a brilliant career. They talk about him playing in a great era… we were up against the great Barcelona. He could have been with Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe!”
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Neville, Ian Wright and Jill Scott were far more positive about Murray's achievements and sad about the Arsenal fan's departure from the sport, though.
Gunners legend Wrighty replied: “Andy Murray is one of our sporting greats for what he had to go through.
Andy Murray tears up on Centre Court in emotional interview with tennis icon Sue Barker
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“For him to make it in tennis, in our country, and in the same era as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, you’ve got to give him major credit. He had a brilliant career and he’s one of our all-time greats.
“I don’t need to be a tennis fan to understand and appreciate how good someone is.
"With the injuries he’s had, it’s great to see how successful he’s been, especially to make it through in such a strong era of tennis.”
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In an era with arguably the three greatest tennis players ever, Murray successfully created a 'Big Four' as he won three Grand Slams and spent 41 weeks at the top of the world rankings.
His tally of 46 career titles, 739 ATP Tour wins, two Olympic gold medals and more than £50million in prize money undoubtedly make Murray an all-time great - both in tennis and in British sport.
After hanging up his racquet in August, the Scot has hinted at a possible career change to become a coach.
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He will also be kept busy at home with four children to look after with wife Kim.
Muzza boasts an impressive £22m business empire to take care of, plus the luxury Cromlix hotel, his collection of sports cars and grand Surrey mansion.
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Tennis stars’ new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best…
- I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
- I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
- I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I'm former world No1 but quit aged 29 - instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist
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