Will Andy Murray's retirement decision push Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal closer to their own?

Andy Murray has recently hinted at a likely retirement this year by stating that he has entered into his "last few months" in professional tennis. He made these remarks during a press conference after being eliminated by Ugo Humbert at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday, February 28.

Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion, a number that could have been significantly higher had he not played in an era of the 'Big 3': Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Murray has also won the Olympic singles gold twice in his illustrious career.

Andy Murray has made big sacrifices in his career

Murray is a strict baseliner and prefers to grind points out on a tennis court. His backhand and court coverage are of the highest order and have contributed a lot to his success.

However, the success has come at a significant cost. Murray has undergone two hip surgeries, the first in 2018 and another a year later and has never quite been the same player since.

Still, Murray continues to be a part of the ATP Tour and has gotten a plethora of wild-card entries into various tournaments during the past few years. However, his performance has not been very encouraging, to say the least.

The former World No.1 is ranked 67th in the world at the moment and has a disappointing win-loss record of 1-5 in 2024. Still, it is quite commendable that he continues to play with an artificial hip. Murray's mental fortitude is praiseworthy, but there is only so much one's body can take.

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Will Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic follow suit?

Andy Murray might decide to call it a day after trying to win a very creditable third gold medal at the Paris Olympics this year. His decision might inspire Nadal to announce his retirement, too.

The 37-year-old Spaniard has faced his share of injuries and may soon find the rigors of professional tennis increasingly challenging. He has previously hinted that 2024 could potentially mark his final year in the sport.

Hence, Nadal might want to have his swansong on his beloved Roland Garros centre-court at the Paris Olympics.

However, the jury is still out on whether he will be able to make it to the Olympics, as he made a return to tennis last month after a year-long injury lay-off at the Brisbane International, but bowed out in the quarterfinals and then. He then had to pull out of the Australian Open subsequently due to a minor hip injury.

Djokovic's case is different. He is still at the top of his game, still supremely fit and won three out of the four Grand Slams last year. He has the records for the most Majors and most weeks as the world No. 1 firmly under his belt.

Despite encountering challenges from Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the 36-year-old Serb remains an exceptionally skilled player who is unlikely to be deterred by setbacks. He has dealt with great ballstrikers throughout his career and will surely hone his game to deal with the youngsters' powerful strokeplay.

Hence, one can safely assume that Djokovic will be around for two more years unless something drastic happens to him in terms of any potential injury. Even in the worst-case scenario for the World No. 1, he should keep playing tennis for at least another year.