It is fitting that in the final summer of his tennis career, Andy Murray will have the opportunity to grace the Olympic stage one last time.

Britain’s greatest-ever tennis player has saved some of his most iconic performances for the Olympics and stands alongside the Williams sisters as the most successful of all in that arena.

Murray has been selected for his fifth Games in Paris, a testament to the longevity of a player who announced his own retirement at the Australian Open five years ago.

Since then, he has returned to the world’s top 50, won tournaments on the ATP Tour and reminded everyone of the tenaciousness that saw him reach the very top.

Back surgery at the end of June meant that Murray could not compete in singles at Wimbledon, but he will play alongside Dan Evans in men's doubles at Roland Garros in his fifth Olympics, as well as potentially in singles as well.

And for the former world number one and three-time Grand Slam champion, including twice at Wimbledon, it is the Olympics that rank up there with anything he has achieved.

He said: “I've really enjoyed playing the Olympics over the years and the chance to play in another one, I'm excited about that.

“The Olympics in London, the finals day, when we played the singles and the mixed final was definitely one of the one of the best days of my professional life.

“Definitely one of the happiest I've felt more so than when I won Wimbledon in 2013 or even the US Open.

“It was just an amazing experience, to be part of an Olympic team. I'm a massive, massive sports fan. I have always enjoyed team competitions, probably more than individual competitions, whether that be as a junior or playing in Davis Cup or Olympics. I've loved it.”

Murray beat Roger Federer in straight sets on that memorable day at SW19 during London 2012, setting the stage for a maiden Slam title at the US Open later that year before his first Wimbledon crown in 2013.

He then made history in Rio in 2016 when he became the first person to retain an Olympic singles title, beating Juán Martín del Potro in an epic final.

As much as Murray has excelled on the Olympic stage in London and Rio, there have also been setbacks.

In 2008, he suffered a shock defeat to Lu Yen-Hsun, of Chinese Taipei, in the first round, while three years ago in Tokyo, he and Joe Salisbury lost in the quarter-finals after being in control of their clash with eventual silver medallists Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig of Croatia.

He recalled: “I've experienced some tough moments in the Olympics as well. It's natural to remember the real highs that I've had but the Beijing Olympics for me, coming off the back of winning in Cincinnati, was a tough experience there. Total, almost full body cramp in the first round there and a really tough, tough loss for me.

“And last Olympics, me and Joe were up a set and a break in the quarter-finals. We had game points, 4-3 in the second set and got broken. We would have had a couple of matches to win a medal there and that was a tough loss so I've had some great moments but also some difficult ones in the Olympics, but always amazing experience, and I've learned a lot from them.”

Even as one of the biggest sports stars on the planet, Murray explained that he is just as excited by some of the Games’ idiosyncrasies and what it means to be an Olympian.

He said: “It’s a completely unique experience. I don’t know how many athletes go to an Olympics and say they didn’t enjoy it. For me, it’s something completely different to what we experience the rest of our careers. You get the opportunity to speak to people from different sports and from countries all over the world.

“I’ve loved going around chatting to the other athletes. You collect their flags, you get the pins, you get a bag of pins and attach them to your accreditation.

“It might seem like it’s a silly thing to do but I’ve really enjoyed that part of it. I’ve tried to go along and watch some of the other sports, providing it’s not distracting from your own performance. I have really enjoyed the whole thing.”

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