Andy Murray suffered a losing start in his farewell to Wimbledon on Thursday, weeping openly in front of his adoring fans before admitting: "I wish I could play forever."

Murray, a two-time singles champion at Wimbledon, and brother Jamie were defeated 7-6 (6), 6-4 by Rinky Hijikata and John Peers of Australia in the first round of men's doubles.

It was the first episode of a three-part retirement — the 37-year-old Murray is scheduled to play mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon before he retires at the Paris Olympics.