FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Tennis Training - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - July 23, 2024. Andy Murray of Britain during training. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
PARIS (Reuters) -Twice Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray said he will not compete in the singles competition at the Paris Games and will prioritise the doubles in his final tournament before retirement.
Murray skipped the singles in his final appearance at Wimbledon this month after having surgery to remove a spinal cyst, but had initially entered the singles and doubles, alongside Dan Evans, in Paris.
The 37-year-old Briton, however, made the decision to skip singles before the draw was made on Thursday.
"I'm happy to compete one more time for my country. Unfortunately I trained to get ready for singles and doubles but I'm getting older now and just ran out of time really," he said after the draw ceremony at Roland Garros.
"But I'm happy to be in the doubles with Dan and we play well together and hope we can have a good run."
Murray won singles gold at London 2012, beating Roger Federer in the final, and successfully defended his title in Rio four years later by defeating Juan Martin del Potro.
He also won a mixed doubles silver from London partnering Laura Robson.
The three-times Grand Slam winner said on Tuesday he would retire after the Paris Games, where the tennis tournament runs from July 27-Aug. 4.
Murray, who revived his career after having hip-resurfacing surgery in 2019, told British media on Wednesday that it was the right time to bow out.
"I didn't feel that way a few months ago when I thought this was when I was going to stop," he said.
"I didn't really want to, whereas now I want to and I know that it's the right time for me."
Murray and Evans were drawn against Japanese pair Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori in the first round of the doubles.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru and Martyn Herman in Paris; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Ed Osmond)
