Howard Eskin First Pitch

WIMBLEDON, England -- Andy Murray left the court briefly, moments after his last-ever men's doubles match on Thursday. When he returned, he gave his brother, Jamie, a long, warm hug. And the crowd, already on its feet, erupted, moved by the emotions of the two brothers, and jubilant for a man who has touched a nation.

It was the only time the brothers will ever play doubles together at the All England Club -- the pair were defeated by Rinky Hijikata and John Peers. In the next few days, Murray, 37, will play his last-ever match at Wimbledon as a professional. After pulling out of singles because he wasn't ready after recent back surgery, Murray has opted to play mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu, in addition to doubles with Jamie.

His last hurrah will come at the Olympics in Paris later this month, but the Scot's Wimbledon career is almost at an end. He leaves a void that will take some filling, if it's even possible. He also leaves behind a country that has changed the way it thinks about tennis because of him.

On Thursday, before a montage was shown about his career in which Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal expressed their respect, Murray tried to hold it together. It was not easy when he saw former BBC presenter Sue Barker, who came out of retirement to interview him on court.

"It was obviously really special," Murray said about playing with Jamie. "We never got the chance to do it before. It was a bit of a race against time to get out here. Physically it wasn't easy, but I'm glad we were able to do this one time together."

After making his debut in 2005 as a gangly 18-year-old, Murray made history in 2013 when he became the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years. He repeated the feat three years later. In all, he won 46 titles including three Grand Slams -- his first came at the US Open in 2012. He earned back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016, was ranked world No. 1 for 41 weeks, and helped Britain win the Davis Cup in 2015.

Through his titles alone, secured in surely the greatest era of men's tennis with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer dominant like no trio before them, Murray has solidified his place in history. But whether he knows it or not, he will leave tennis having also changed a nation's mindset. Until Murray, Britain had some good players, but while Tim Henman reached four Wimbledon semifinals, no one really thought he could win.

In a country starved of success in tennis, Murray made the impossible possible. And he changed the perception of tennis in Britain, where it had been considered a sport for elites.

Murray wore his heart on his sleeve and brought people along for the ride. Fans lived through his matches as if they were on court themselves. There was always drama, it was never an easy ride, and many times, Murray shouted and scowled on court. But in time, the public learned how hard he was working, how he was always willing to put his body through the ringer one more time, to go the extra mile in search of the 1 percent that might make the difference.

It's still relatively expensive to play tennis in the U.K. There is still a lot of work to be done to make it more accessible, and participation has plateaued in recent years. But young people in Britain want to play tennis because Andy Murray made it cool. They saw what he did, what he said and how he has gone about his life -- and not only did they want to emulate him, they believe they can. Not many people, in any sport, can say that.

"I wouldn't be here without Andy," British No. 1 Jack Draper said after his first-round win. "He's an incredible guy off the court, so funny, so genuine, one-of-a-kind and what a competitor, what a champion. Thank you very much."

2021 US Open champion Raducanu echoed those thoughts. "When I think of Wimbledon, I think of Andy," she said. "Growing up, that was the generation, the hero I would look up to."

The effusive words of his peers in recent days show the respect in which Murray has been held. "His will to push and see how far he can go, even with an artificial hip, is something that is just inspiring but also serves as a great example I think to a lot of the athletes, younger ones that start to complain about this and that," 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic said on Tuesday. "He has left an incredible mark on and off the court."

Grigor Dimitrov said Murray should be regarded as one of the best players in history. "He won how many tournaments, 46? Three Slams, Olympics back to back," said Dimitrov. "I always say stats don't really matter, but it's a lot, and what he's been able to do to come back with the surgeries and all that, that's a career." 

Coco Gauff hailed his fighting spirit and highlighted his impact in promoting the women's game.

"I just saw a video on TikTok which always makes its rounds about [Murray] correcting reporters about statistics," she said. "It's something that as a female player, you'll see a lot where people will be, like, 'He's the first player to do this.' It's like, well, Serena and Venus did it, another player did it ages ago. [Or] 'the first American' ... I did it, just did it. I do appreciate him. Not only him but also his mother for everything they've done for equality for women's sports."

Judy Murray, Andy's mother, was his first coach, a constant source of support throughout his career and a coach and leader in her own right, especially through her programs for young girls.

Despite the injuries in recent years, Murray has continued to give everything in search of the goodbye he wanted, and clearly deserves. He didn't get it in singles, his body not quite there, but the way he was heralded in doubles with his brother should leave him in no doubt about how the country feels.

And those who have come behind, such as Draper, who beat Carlos Alcaraz at Queen's Club and who was seeded at a major for the first time, are able to play without the pressure Murray faced. The obstacles to success have been cleared. A country now believes in tennis and thinks like champions. That's his legacy.