BBC presenter Clare Balding broke down in tears after Andy Murray was knocked out of the Olympics. The Scot and Dan Evans were beaten 6-2 6-4 by the Team USA pair of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, bringing the curtain down on his iconic career.

Murray himself struggled to contain himself as he waved goodbye to the crowd, clearly emotional as he left the court.

And after the Beeb aired a montage paying tribute to his Olympic legacy, the occasion also got too much for Balding.

"And that is why he so desperately wanted to be here, to make it to Paris," she said live on BBC. "He wasn't fit enough to play singles but he said 'I'll play doubles, I'll pay with Dan Evans'.

"And my word hasn't he shown us in the three matches he's played here everything that he is about. It is never over until it's over. And now sadly, in terms of his professional playing career, that is it. It is now over and all we can say is thank you, thank you...."

Balding then muttered "you better say something" to her fellow pundits before having to put down the microphone as the tears streamed down. And a BBC staff member then appeared to hand her handkerchief as she tried to regain her composure.

Rebecca Adlington then said "don't you're going to make me cry." Mark Foster added "you've gone all Becky tonight," before Balding steadied herself and joked "Ok I'm fine" before previewing the rest of Thursday's action.

Balding and co were forced to give their views some 20 minutes later than it initially seemed, following one last act of defiance from the 37-year-old. Having lost the first set 6-4, him and Evans stared down the barrel at 5-2 and a double break down in the second.

But for the third consecutive match in Paris, the British pair saved match points. And then they eventually broke back in a marathon game to delay the inevitable.

The Americans took their chance at the second time of asking though. And amid a raucous atmosphere in favour of Murray, the ending was met with a stunned silence from the Roland Garros faithful.

Murray bows out with three Olympic medals to his name, He retained his individual title in Rio in 2016, having also won silver in the mixed doubles in London with Laura Robson.