When you’ve won all this...
... why would Andy ever need this?
Everything Andy Murray has achieved in his young life has been won entirely on merit.
Every point, game and set of tennis on the road to becoming world No1 has its foundations in Murray’s Herculean work ethic and a relentless will to meet the skyscraper-high standards he sets himself.
He’s a credit to his family and his home town. An example to every child growing up in this country of what it takes to be the best in any walk of life.
Murray’s rise from mop-topped gangly teenager to the greatest tennis player in the world has been enjoyed by all of Scotland.
Despite that, it clearly rankles within certain sections of the British establishment and certain journalists who are happy to serve as their lapdogs.
It means that after every new and brilliant triumph, Murray is asked about the prospect of being given a knighthood.
They were at it again last week. Murray had just destroyed Novak Djokovic in two clinical sets in the deciding match of the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
It confirmed that he finishes the year as world No1 – Britain’s brightest sporting star, possibly even of all time.
The question is often presented to Murray as if not having a knighthood somehow represents failure on his part.
Murray would have been more than entitled to take the huff, asking if it wouldn’t be more appropriate to celebrate the victory in hand as well as the achievement of his No1 position.
Had he wished to go further, he may have questioned why anyone would want to join a club which once had Fred Goodwin as a member and is currently dealing with the salty issue of what to do with current incumbent Philip Green.
Instead, he responded with his usual good grace, batting the question away with polite platitudes.
His lack of a knighthood means the honours system ranks former West Ham United footballer and FA functionary Trevor Brooking, rower Matthew Pinsent and motor racing engineer Patrick Head as Murray’s titled superior. Whether he would like to become Sir Andy is a matter for him. His advisers, who have been playing up his appeal to middle England for a decade, are likely to say yes.
He will eventually be offered one because the omission becomes more glaring with every passing year.
The suspicion lingers that his apparent support for Scottish independence in 2014 has done nothing to speed the process up.
His demeanour on the court – expressive, passionate and tough – enhances his immense appeal to millions of Scottish fans still further. How it goes down among the snobs and lickspittles slithering around the back corridors of Whitehall is a matter for speculation.
Murray is actually a living antithesis of the system.
His career has never benefited from inheritance and nothing has been bestowed.
In fact, Murray has often had to battle resentment from sections of fans and some of the media throughout his career. The moronic shouts of “come on, Tim” at Wimbledon. The appalling and unfair criticisms his mother had to endure for wanting the best for both her highly talented sons and sacrificing everything to help them.
The unfunny Is Andy Murray Scottish or British this week memes.
He had, at times along the way, to fight for acceptance. In doing so, he’s earned the right to do what he likes when it comes to the honours system or any other pressure to conform.
He may like to consider the case of Will Straw.
Straw appeared before the House of Commons Public Administration earlier this year after being given a CBE for his services to the failed campaign to keep Britain in the European Union.
In an exquisitely pitched question, veteran Labour MP Paul Flynn asked Straw “how you’re enjoying your role as a Commander of the British Empire?”, before adding: “How fares the Empire under your command?” Flynn’s beautiful wording exposed at a stroke the preposterousness of a systems rendered corrupt by d decades of cronyism. For his own part, Straw unwittingly unde underlined that, saying he hadn’t in fact wwanted any such award but felt he should accept because the campaign had kekept him away from his family and he felt his wife deserved a day out.
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Ther There’s little doubt Murray will one day be given the choice of whether to becomebecom a knight of the realm.
As ththings stand, he’s in good enoughenoug company. None of Jock Stein, Bill Shankly or Brian Clough – not a silver spoon between them – were consideredc knighthood material.mater
Away from sport, the brilliant Danny Boyle, creator of the opening ceremony of the OOlympic Games at which Murray won his first gold medal, turned one down.
MurrMurray’s prizes – his two Wimbledons, two Olympic golds, US Open, Davis Cup and dozens of other tournaments – were won on his own.
They came from a supreme talent and a refusal to accept second best.
In comparison to all that he has earned, a knighthood means next to nothing.
He’ll finally be offered one as the omission becomes more glaring every year