Andy Murray’s bid for one last Wimbledon singles appearance has fallen painfully short. The former world No. 1 and two-time Wimbledon champion was optimistic about competing in singles at the All England Club despite undergoing back surgery less than a fortnight ago.

But on Tuesday the tennis great made the difficult decision to withdraw. Murray has suffered several injury setbacks in recent years and the 37-year-old previously confirmed this year will mark his final appearance at the tournament. However, while Murray has pulled out of the singles draw he remarkably will still take the court to play doubles with his brother Jamie, giving his adoring fans one last chance to see him take to the famous grass courts.

“I slept on it, I told my team and my family that I didn’t think I was going to play just based on how I felt yesterday,” Murray said. “I practised pretty well and I was playing pretty good, I just wasn’t happy with how my leg was feeling.

“I ran around at home a bit this morning when I got up and it just wasn’t where I wanted it to be. It’s probably a few days too soon. But I worked extremely hard to at least give myself a chance to play.

“I obviously practised with my brother today and I look forward to playing the doubles.” The Murray brothers have been drawn to face Australian pair John Peers and Rinky Hijikata in the first round of the doubles.

It is not yet clear if Murray plans to call it quits after Wimbledon, with the Paris Olympics potentially still on his radar. But whenever he bows out, the 37-year-old will go out with an incredible tennis haul which includes three grand slam titles, reaching a world No.1 ranking, a knighthood, two Olympic Games gold medals and Davis Cup success.

It was initially reported Murray would need six weeks off to recover from surgery to remove a spinal cyst, which he underwent just 10 days ago. His attempt to make Wimbledon despite the painful setback was courageous. And Stuart Fraser, a tennis journalist with The Times, said the Scottish-born tennis star just ran out of time to get his body right.

“Afraid to report that Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Wimbledon singles draw,” Fraser wrote on X. “He will still play doubles with his brother Jamie later this week but has confirmed that this will be the last time he competes at Wimbledon. There just wasn’t enough recovery time to play singles.” While tennis fans were understandably upset about his withdrawal, many commented that he had made the right decision.