TENNIS Murray: I want no sympathy
ANDY MURRAY has insisted he wants no sympathy from his fellow pros as he bids to return to the top of tennis.
The world No.123 smashed his racquet in frustration as he lost 7-5 6-2 to Andrey Rublev in the second round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
The former world No.1, who won his first ATP Tour-level match for six months in the first round, plans to play in Dubai and Miami later this month. “I don’t want sympathy. I don’t want any of that from the other players,” the Scot said. “I want to get out and compete and enjoy doing what I am doing.”
The three-time Grand Slam winner (above) said he has no empathy with Roger Federer, who makes his own comeback from injury next week in Qatar. Murray has had two hip ops and the Swiss superstar underwent two knee operations last year.
Asked if he had sympathy for the 20-time Grand Slam winner as he starts his own comeback, the Scot said: “He doesn’t need my sympathy and he doesn’t need any advice from me.” When asked if ‘empathy’ would be a better word, the father-of-three added: “I am not very good with empathy. I’d imagine a lot of top sportsmen probably score quite low
LEEDS target Romain Perraud has admitted he is a Chelsea fan.
The left-back (above) has impressed with his performances for Stade Brest in Ligue 1 and the 23-year-old confesses to having supported Leeds’ bitter rivals since seeing them as a kid.
“It’s true,” he said. “I became a big fan of Chelsea when I visited London with my father and my grandmother.
“My father managed to buy tickets. I must have been between nine and 11 years old, the game was Chelsea v Sunderland, a 5-0 victory.
“I said to myself then I was going to follow this team and I still follow them today. They are my favourite team.”
WHEN the English stop boasting about having the best league in the world, the most money in the world, not to mention the longest and most important history in the game and when we stop calling our governing body THE Football Association, there is half a chance of the World Cup being staged on these shores again.