Andy Murray has long teased his retirement from tennis, but his final outing may not be as soon as expected.
The Brit had previously suggested that 2024 will be his last year in the sport, before then appearing to announce a U-turn on this decision after competing at the French Open.
Murray suffered a first-round defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka at Roland Garros, and he waved goodbye to the crowd as he left Court Philippe Chatrier after what may have been his final appearance at the major.
The 37-year-old has hinted that he is unlikely to continue beyond this summer’s Olympic Games, also taking place at the Paris venue.
However his brother Jamie has suggested that this is not an official end date, and admitted that it is remains to be seen when the three-time Grand Slam champion will eventually bow out from the sport.
Appearing on talkSPORT Breakfast, Jamie was uncertain when asked whether his younger sibling would consider calling time on his career if he enjoys a strong run at the upcoming Wimbledon.
He responded: “I’m honestly not sure. I mean he’s not said definitively when he wants to stop.”
Jamie pointed to an ankle injury sustained at the Miami Open which initially threatened Murray’s hopes of appearing at SW19, as a reason for him to continue playing beyond the summer.
The former doubles world number one explained: “I think obviously the ankle injury that he got in Miami was a bit of a spanner in the works for him, he obviously missed more tournaments.”
And while he admitted his brother had discussed several ideal scenarios which could prompt him to retire on a high, Jamie could not confirm that any outcome was set in stone.
He continued: “Look, I’m sure he would love to have a great run at Wimbledon, get out and compete on Centre Court again and hopefully can get a bit of a run going and see from there.
“He’s talked about the Olympics as well before, being a big goal for him.
“So we’ll see, but again like I said, he’s left it fairly open, he’s not really been definitive. As, in a way, Rafa [Nadal has been] a bit as well.”
Murray’s latest comments have shown a similar reluctance to reveal his exact future plans.
Before his clash with Wawrinka, the Scot hinted towards his earlier plans of a summer retirement, saying: “When the time is right, I will stop. I don’t know if I will play past the summer.”
However, after departing the tournament, he was vague when detailing what his exit may look like.
Murray told BBC Radio 5 Live: “There has been a lot of talk about the right, or best, ways to go out from playing tennis. There is no perfect ending in most scenarios.
“I’d like to go out with winning a match or winning a tournament, but it doesn’t really happen that way for most players.”
With tennis icon Rafael Nadal also targeting a likely final Olympics appearance in Paris as he enters the twilight stage of his career, August could see the stars go head to head as they look to exit the sport on the ultimate high.
The Spaniard is a former Games champion, having tasted glory at Beijing 2008, while Murray’s 2012 and 2016 titles make him the only player to have won consecutive men’s singles Olympic gold medals.