Andy, my Gran Slam hero
AS the nation paid tribute to one of its greatest sports stars, Andy Murray’s gran prepared to give him a big hug.
The tennis ace, 31, wept yesterday as he told of his plan to quit the sport after this year’s Wimbledon, where he celebrated two of his three Grand Slam triumphs.
As the dad of two wiped away tears, praise poured in for his achievements.
But his No1 fan – his gran Ellen Murray – was focused on comforting him. She said: “Watching him on the telly, if he starts crying I just want to give him a cuddle.
“Andrew is very emotional, he’s a bit soft-hearted.”
In an emotional press conference in Australia, Andy admitted he may not make it to the All England Club in July due to a hip injury.
The pain is such that he finds it hard even to tie his shoelaces. Andy said: “I’m not sure I’m able to play through the pain for another four or five months. I want to get to Wimbledon and stop but I’m not certain I can do that.”
It was in 2013 that Andy ended our 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men’s singles title, a year after he won the US Open. He won Wimbledon again in 2016.
Back home in Scotland, Ellen – mum of Andy’s dad Willie – told how he has remained grounded despite his fame. He jetted home to be at grandad Gordon’s bedside in the hours before his death in September 2016.
Andy raced to catch a flight back from the US Open after a defeat to Japanese player Kei Nishikori.
Gordon had been taken ill as he watched his grandson in the late-night match on TV, on September 7, and collapsed in the living room. The tennis ace got to the hospital in time to say goodbye, holding Gordon’s hand in the final hours of his life.
Ellen, 85, said: “When my husband died, I remember the night before when he stayed up to watch Andrew on the TV when he was playing. He’d asked me if I
If he starts crying I just want to give him a cuddle ELLEN MURRAY ON WATCHING ANDY ON TV
was staying up to watch and I’d said, ‘Indeed I am not, I’m going to me bed’.
“I fell asleep and he never came to bed. I was thinking, ‘That’s funny, that must be some long game’.
“I got up and he was lying on the living room floor. He must have got up off the chair but fell across the floor.
“I phoned for the doctor and when he arrived he said that Gordon was a very ill man. They took him away to hospital and he died the next day.
“Andrew, God love him, was there at his bedside, holding his hand all the time. He said to me, ‘I got in on time, Gran’, and I said, ‘That’s good, son’.” Gordon had tuned in to every big game Andy played. Ellen joked: “He’d call him for everything if he lost.”
But not even his gran knows what Sir Andy, knighted in 2016, will do next... though Ellen reckons he could follow in John McEnroe’s footsteps as a “natural” for any commentary job.
She added: “When he was a wee boy it was tennis all the time. But he can talk. He doesn’t hide anything, he just comes right out with it.”
Andy’s retirement plans follow a battle to recover from injury for more than 18 months. The star – who has daughters Edie, one, and Sophia, three next month, with wife Kim – had surgery on his right hip in January 2018, returning to sport in June.
A budding tennis player at Andy’s former school hopes he will return to work there. Gregor Wood, a pupil at Dunblane Primary, near Stirling, said: “He’d be a good PE teacher.”
Andy’s former tennis coach Brian Melville, 68, said the ace had inspired people everywhere, adding: “He’s very down to earth. He will help people in tennis.” While one local, Bill Drummond, 71, hailed him for making Dunblane known for reasons other than the school massacre of 1996.
He said: “Dunblane was remembered for all the wrong reasons. We used to go on holiday and try to avoid saying where we were from.
“Latterly it was hailed as Andy Murray territory. It’s been amazing for the town.”
The All England Club yesterday posted an image of Andy celebrating on Centre Court.
It said: “Whatever happens next, you’ve done more than you know.”
Tracey Crouch, Sports Minister when Andy won his second Wimbledon title, said: “He’s such a phenomenal competitor in an era of other great players, a champion for equality in sport and a genuinely nice guy. I think his legacy of inspiring the next generation will live long.”
Andy’s decision to appoint Amelie Mauresmo as his coach in 2014 was seen as a groundbreaking moment in the sport. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called him a “legend, one of Scotland’s greatest-ever sportsmen, an outstanding role model and inspiration for young people”. Andy posted a picture of him with mum Judy and said: “Best way to feel better after a tough day is a big cuddle from your mum. “Genuinely very touched by all of the support today. It means a lot and has made me feel much more positive than when I woke this morning.” Andy fears that his Australian Open firstround match on Monday may prove his last. But there is always hope of one last Wimbledon to end his illustrious career. Tell us what you think: yourvoice@mirror.co.uk