British tennis star Andy Murray has admitted that he sometimes finds competition stressful as he prepares for his final tournament before retirement at the Paris Olympics.
Murray, 37, won Olympic gold in 2012 in London, defeating Roger Federer to claim the men's singles title. He defended his title four years later in Brazil with a victory over Juan Martin del Potro, but injury prevented him from achieving a three-peat in Tokyo.
He has a chance for a third Olympic gold in Paris, though not in the singles. After confirming that the Olympics would be his farewell tournament as a player, he announced during the week that he would only compete in the doubles, partnering with Dan Evans.
Murray underwent back surgery in the lead-up to Wimbledon, where he withdrew late from the singles but played in the doubles alongside his brother Jamie.
“Winning the gold medal and obviously the silver in London is probably a big highlight," Murray said. "Obviously Wimbledon was amazing but the way I felt that week [in London] meant the most to me. I don’t always like it on the court, I do find competing very stressful. But that week [in 2012], I was so happy. I really enjoyed the whole week," he told Eurosport.
“It is once in a lifetime to compete in an Olympics at home, and you know you’re not going to get that opportunity again. Certainly made the most of it," he continued, claiming the win over Federer was "one of the best matches I’ve ever played".
Evans and Murray are joined in the men's doubles draw by the seeded pair Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury, while Katie Boulter and Heather Watson are teaming up in the women's doubles, and a Watson-Salisbury pairing will compete in the mixed doubles. Boulter is Team GB's sole representative in the women's singles, where she will face Slovakian opponent Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
"Obviously me and Dan have made the commitment to each other that (doubles) was what we were going to prioritise," Murray said after pulling out of the singles. "That gives the team and us the best opportunity to get a medal, realistically. My back is still not perfect and the potential of playing two matches in a day is maybe not the best.”
Djokovic is top seed, and made light work of Australia's Mate Ebden to move into the second round. Defending champion Alexander Zverev begins his own title defence against Jaume Munar of Spain.
