HELENSBURGH wheelchair tennis star Gordon Reid says Sir Andy Murray will retire with no regrets when he calls time on his playing career.

In an emotional press conference on Friday, Murray said he planned to retire from playing after this year’s Wimbledon championship – but admitted that he might have to call a halt as early as next week’s Australian Open.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Reid – who, like Murray, is a past Wimbledon champion and Olympic gold medallist – said he was sure the decision to retire was a “horrible” one for one of the greatest figures in Scotland’s sporting history.

Describing the tearful press conference, Reid said: “It’s a really emotional thing to watch. It’s somebody who’s having something thrust upon him, forced upon him, that he doesn’t want to do.

“He doesn’t want to end his career short; it’s difficult to see him going through that much pain.

Andy’s somebody who will always be able to say that he’s done absolutely everything and turned every stone to try and prolong his career. He’s not somebody that will go out with regrets thinking ‘I wish I’d done that’ and ‘I wish I’d done a little bit different’.

“But obviously it’s still really difficult, and horrible for him, and I think everybody in tennis [is] going to miss him.”

Leading figures in the tennis and sporting communities, and the wider world, have sent Murray messages of support following his admission.

Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, tweeted: “Please don’t stop trying. Keep fighting. I can imagine your pain and sadness. I hope you can overcome this. You deserve to retire on your own terms.”

And Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, called Murray “a legend” and said he was “without doubt one of Scotland’s greatest ever sportsmen, as well as an outstanding role model and inspiration for young people everywhere”.

Reid added: “He’s one of the most liked guys on the tour, and one of the most respected professionals on the tour as well, so there’s going to be no end to the help and support that will be coming from the tennis world, and, I’m sure, from his personal life as well, to help him through a difficult period.”