After the tearful farewell came the comeback, Andy Murray returning through the gates of the All England Club on Friday.
Wimbledon officials and the BBC produced a fitting on-court tribute to the two-time champion as he wiped away the tears — like so many others — on Centre Court.
They knew he would be returning for the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu but it had been agreed that Thursday night would be the official hurrah.
On court, his great rivals and friends paid tribute, while Novak Djokovic, Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper stayed on admirably late after their matches to pay their respects.
At points, it was almost too much for Murray as he paid tribute to his team, wife Kim and the couple’s children, two of whom were in his box, a nice surprise he only knew about when he cast his eyes towards the television as he was preparing to come on court for the doubles with brother Jamie.
Tennis has said goodbye to him before, in 2019 at the Australian Open, only for him to undergo surgery and make a return. He never quite achieved the same heady heights of the past — when he won two Wimbledon titles, the US Open, an Olympic gold and claimed the world No1 status — when he returned with that metal hip.
But what he did have was fight and determination to rehabilitate and come back to do the thing he loves most beyond his family… simply playing tennis.
“I certainly didn’t get everything right during my career,” he said, talking in more contemplative, less emotional fashion off court and late into the night. “I was far from perfect.
“The thing that I did a really good job of during my career was that, regardless of the highs and lows — whether it was winning tournaments, having difficult losses, an operation, a setback — that I was able to treat the next day like I always came into work with the same dedication, work, ethic and passion as I had the day before. I gave my best effort. That’s what I’m proud of.”
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The acceptance that the end is nigh has not been an easy to come to terms with. He first strived to play on for as long as possible before admitting the summer seemed a likely end point, and finally the time had come to bow out at Wimbledon with the fanfare and then in Paris, for the Olympics, in arguably more muted fashion. He at least admitted: “I’m ready to finish playing. I don’t want that to be the case, I would love to play for ever.
“This year’s been tough with the ankle, then the back surgery, obviously the hip. I’m ready to finish playing because I can’t play to the level that I would want to any more. If I knew my body was going to be able to do it, I would play. But it’s time now.”
He will be back at Wimbledon, scheduled, as mentioned, to practice at the All England Club and set to play mixed doubles with Raducanu for what could be one final foray here, maybe more if they gel.
And his peers and pundits have long talked about the qualities he would bring as a coach. What chance a return to Centre Court and players’ box for such an undertaking?
For now, as he put it, it was time to turn his attention to a quick family holiday and then one final hurrah at the Olympics.
