Elite sport isn’t meant to be fun, is it?

“Never even liked tennis anyway.” So tweeted Sir Andy Murray after his final professional appearance on August 1st. The three-time grand-slam winner and twice Olympic champion announced his retirement before the Paris games, in which he reached the quarter-final of the men’s doubles. His post racked up more than a million likes. Its dry tone was self-mocking, typifying an athlete who really did love tennis—but sometimes looked miserable while playing it, especially towards the end of his career, when the pain on his face was very real as injuries took a toll.