For a time Andy Murray tried to deny the reality of it all, but finally the admission came that the long goodbye from tennis has begun.
Speaking after his latest defeat in Dubai this week, he confessed he didn't see himself playing much past the summer. Will Wimbledon, where he is a two-time winner, mark the end? Or will it be the Olympics, again where he has twice won gold? At 67th in the world and the British No 4, qualification for the latter is far from guaranteed.
