Andy Murray would play Majors for free in the next five years – Santoro

In an interview to RMC Sport, the former world No. 17 singles player and current coach praised , who recently announced his retirement from tennis.

I am very emotional because I have been loving Andy Murray since his debut on the Tour, said Santoro. I spent the last 12 years defending him. I was told that he had a bad character, but I know the true Andy Murray, the true guy who is in the locker room.

Thats why all the players, over the last 24 hours, shared their sadness for seeing him ending his career. He is a passionate guy, a big hard-worker, a very funny and very smart guy. But I think its important to remember his tears in that press conference.

You often speak about money and rarely about passion for the high-level sport. Andy Murray would be ready to play for free in the next five years if his Grand Slam appearances were granted. If he cried its not because of money, but because he cannot experience that passion anymore.

The world No. 22 was surprised to hear about Murrays retirement from tennis. Goffin faced the British player seven times and he was able to win just once. In an interview ahead of the Australian Open, Goffin said: I did not know that it could be his last tournament.

Its the most important weapon. But sometimes the body just tells you to stop. It will have been the case for him. He played a lot of matches in the last years. You do not become a world No. 1 by chance. At first, he did not want to undergo surgery but then he did the surgery.

Murray was not the only player who dealt with these issues. Even Federer, Nadal and Djokovic deal with problems and underwent surgeries. It is the same for me after my fall in Davis Cup (in 2013 during the tie against Israel) when I underwent wrist surgery.

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