Kicking off with a defeat alongside his older brother, Jamie, in the men's doubles, the two-time singles champion, 37, is making his last appearance at the All England Club before retiring later this year.

Following his match with his brother, 38, a video montage of Murray's career was played on the Centre Court big screen, bringing the former world number one to tears as thousands of fans offered prolonged applause.

He said: “It feels like a good ending to me. Whether I deserve it or not, I don't know. But they did a really, really good job."

The Murray brothers were greeted with a standing ovation upon arriving on a packed Centre Court on Thursday (04.07.24), while another ovation followed moments after they lost 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to Australian pair John Peers, 35, and 23-year-old Rinky Hijikata.

Murray's parents, Judy and Will, his wife Kim, and two of their daughters watched on as former BBC presenter Sue Barker conducted a poignant ceremony shortly after the match.

Murray took the opportunity to thank his family, team members, and fans for their unwavering support over the years.

He added: “It is hard because I want to keep playing, but I can't. Physically it's too tough now. I want to play forever. I love the sport."

The ceremony was attended by fellow Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, and Iga Swiatek, along with Tim Henman — who Murray succeeded as British men's number one in 2005 — and current players Dan Evans, Jack Draper, and Cameron Norrie.

Murray is set to appear again later this week at Wimbledon, having signed up for the mixed doubles with fellow British Grand Slam champion Emma Raducanu.

He said: “It was obviously very special to play with Jamie, we've not had the chance to do it before. It was a race against time to get out here and physically it wasn't easy but I'm glad we were able to do it one time together."