Andy Murray should be considered at the same level of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as he approaches the end of his career, says Mark Philippoussis.
On Tuesday, Murray confirmed he had withdrawn from what was expected to be his final singles outing at Wimbledon after failing to fully recover from back surgery.
He will play doubles alongside brother Jamie but will now be denied a singles send-off at the tournament he won in 2013 and 2016, making him the only British man to lift the trophy in the Open Era.
While Murray's three grand slam titles put him some way adrift of Djokovic (24), Nadal (22) and Federer (20), 2003 Wimbledon runner-up Philippoussis feels being a multiple major champion in their era makes Murray one of the greats.
"Andy Murray is a great person first of all, I have known him since we were a very young age, I know the family too," Philippoussis told Stats Perform.
"He has an amazing career and people say the top three; they say, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer but I always have him in the top four because I think he was the one who pushed those guys to the limits.
"He's had an amazing career. I wish him luck in his life, in his family life, and his next chapter in the future.
Philippoussis hopes when Murray hangs up his racket, he will stay in the game in some capacity, adding: "What he's brought to the table has been incredible.
"At the time when you had literally three guys dominating, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. For him to be a multiple grand slam champion, number one in the world and a gold medallist and Davis Cup champion, he's done it all.
"He might not have the grand slam numbers like the other guys, but he'll definitely go down as one of the greatest.
"To have done all that when they were dominating the sport is incredibly impressive. It will be sad to see him not at Wimbledon and I hope we'll get a chance to see him one more time.
"I'm proud and it's inspiring to see him still around because he loves the game. Hopefully, he can stay around because he loves the game."
The last few years have seen Murray hampered by injuries, with the Scot undergoing two hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019.
Alexander Bublik, who has won two of five head-to-head meetings with Murray, says watching him frustrated in his bid to recapture past glories has been sad.
"I honestly don't know what to say because he's been struggling and it's painful to see but he enjoys the struggle. The guy is killing himself and he's in pain," he said.
"It's tough to see because he's been number one in the world, he won three slams, so it's tough for any young player who saw him win big titles, to see him like this."
Wimbledon: Alcaraz survives major scare to beat Tiafoe
Carlos Alcaraz survived a major scare as the defending champion won a five-set thriller against Frances Tiafoe to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon.
Tiafoe came into Friday's third-round match on Centre Court with low expectations due to what has been a difficult 2024 so far, but he won the first and third sets, before coming within a tie-break of causing a huge upset.
Alcaraz ultimately prevailed 5-7 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 in just under four hours to book a fourth-round meeting with either Brandon Nakashima or Ugo Humbert.
There were few signs of the drama that would follow when Alcaraz broke to take a first-set lead, but Tiafoe – who shocked Rafael Nadal at the US Open in 2022 – fought back with two breaks of his own to claim the opener and threaten another grand slam scalp.
A superb backhand winner clinched a comfortable second set for Alcaraz, but 29th seed Tiafoe produced an extremely impressive response, rallying the crowd when he confidently moved 2-1 in front having barely been troubled on serve in the third.
There were no break opportunities for either player in a keenly contested fourth set, but, with the pressure firmly on, Alcaraz produced a brilliant tie-break to send the contest into a decider, then taking his turn to celebrate with the fans.
The Spaniard made a crucial early breakthrough in game three and Tiafoe soon began to realise his opportunity had gone when Alcaraz consolidated his lead with a second break. He sealed the victory with a beautiful drop shot, with his relief and joy clear to see after getting over the line.
Data Debrief: Ten in a row for Carlos
Alcaraz is becoming a consistent grass-court performer and has now made the last 16 or better at Wimbledon for three consecutive tournaments, a run which includes his triumph last year.
The victory also means he has won 10 straight Wimbledon matches, with this surely being one of the toughest in that sequence.
Having also achieved that feat at the US Open, he is the third-youngest player to do so at both of those majors, with only Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilander doing so at a younger age.
Despite a difficult afternoon on Centre Court, Alcaraz still racked up some impressive numbers, finishing with 16 aces and 55 winners.
Wimbledon: Hurkacz and Tsitsipas fall in round two as Zverev and Fritz surge on
Hubert Hurkacz was the highest-profile casualty on day four of the Wimbledon men's singles, with the seventh seed forced to retire injured during his clash with Arthur Fils.
The Pole beat Roger Federer on the way to reaching the semi-finals in 2021, while he was runner-up to new world number one Jannik Sinner in Halle last month.
However, when trailing by two sets to one against his French opponent, Hurkacz sustained a knee injury during the tie-break in the fourth.
Despite valiantly attempting to battle on, he aggravated the problem further soon after when diving for a return, and was subsequently unable to continue with Fils advancing to round three.
There, he will play Alex de Minaur after the ninth seed enjoyed a straight-sets victory over Jaume Munar.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev also prevailed in three sets as he continued his rich vein of form. The Italian Open champion, who was also runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland-Garros, was a commanding 6-1 6-2 6-4 winner over Marcos Giron.
Next up for him is Cameron Norrie after the 2022 semi-finalist ousted compatriot Jack Draper in a battle of the Brits on No.1 Court.
Eastbourne champion Taylor Fritz overcame Arthur Rinderknech in four sets, as did 15th seed Holger Rune against Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov recovered from two sets down to beat Juncheng Shang in a decider. The 2014 semi-finalist will now play Gael Monfils, who completed a straight-sets victory over fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka.
Although, there was no joy for 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two-time major finalist was beaten in four sets by world number 87 Emil Ruusuvuori.
Murray receives emotional Centre Court tribute after doubles defeat
Andy Murray said he wished he could play on forever after his final Wimbledon began with a doubles defeat alongside brother Jamie on an emotional Centre Court.
Murray and brother Jamie suffered a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 defeat to Australian pair John Peers and Rinky Hijikata, two days after he announced he would not participate in the singles.
The two-time Wimbledon champion, who underwent back surgery just over a week ago, has since announced he will pair up with Emma Raducanu in the mixed doubles.
Following his doubles match on Thursday, the likes of John McEnroe and Novak Djokovic were invited onto Centre Court for an emotional ceremony to mark his achievements at the tournament, which he won in 2013 and 2016.
In an interview with BBC Sport's Sue Barker, Murray said of teaming up with his elder brother: "It was obviously really special, I never had the chance to do it before.
"The way things worked out, there was a chance this year and it was a race against time.
"Physically it wasn't easy but I'm glad we could get out here and do it just one time together."
Murray has repeatedly said he will retire at the end of 2024, with an appearance at the Paris Olympics now his target.
Speaking about his impending retirement, Murray said: "It's hard. I would love to keep playing but I physically can't, it's too tough now.
"The injuries have added up and they haven't been insignificant. I want to play forever. I love the sport, it's given me so much and taught me so many lessons."
Reflecting on his two victories at SW19, Murray said the pressure of winning his first grand slam title meant he could not fully enjoy the 2013 success, but opened up on the big celebrations that followed his second triumph.
"I didn't really enjoy it as much as I should have done, I just found it very, very stressful," Murray said. "2016 was different.
"I felt way less pressure and the enjoyment I got out of that win was amazing, I could enjoy it with the people closest to me.
"Of the slams, that was my favourite one. I don't remember much of that night, I had a few drinks and I did unfortunately vomit in the cab on the way home!"
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