Murray’s battle for equality makes him true great
The Scot is a sublime player and a passionate campaigner – how will we cope without him, asks Luke Edwards
He has spoken on gender issues with the same honesty that has characterised his career
s the British summer begins to draw to a close, there is more reason than ever to cherish Andy Murray as he enters the autumn years of his career.
But it will not just be his brilliance on court that will be missed. His interview with Elle magazine this week reminded us that there are few more eloquent spokespeople for gender equality in elite sport.
“What I just don’t get is why it wouldn’t be something that tennis players are proud of, to be the only sport [where earnings] are even comparable,” Murray wondered.
Yet this is not a man who pretends there is no more work to be done. He recounted a story about the reaction to his appointment of a female coach, Amelie Mauresmo, which was shocking in its candour. “When it first came out in the press that I may be working with a woman, I got a message from one of the players who is now coaching,” he revealed. “He said to me, ‘I love this game that you’re playing with the press, maybe you should tell them tomorrow that you’re considering working with a dog.’ That’s the sort of stuff that was said.”
Sadly, we do not know how much longer Murray can operate alongside the global elite. He is no longer ranked the world’s best player, the hip injury that ruined his chances of a third Wimbledon title in July possibly causing his powers to fade far more quickly than anticipated.
Murray could flop at the US Open, which starts on Monday, given his fitness struggles and the fact that he has not played a competitive game since hobbling out in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.
Should Murray leave Flushing Meadows early, though, it will only serve to highlight the gaping void that will be left when he does retire.
Although the emergence of Johanna Konta could not be better timed – and she is a potential grand slam winner, as she underlined by reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon – nobody has done more for tennis in this country than Murray.
The Scot has turned a fringe sport, a largely middle-class pursuit, a passing summer fad, into a 12-months-of-the-year drama. Those who have picked up a tennis racket as a child at any stage in the past 10 years will have been inspired by him, driven by dreams of emulating his achievements.
For so long he was regarded with suspicion, which eventually gave way to grudging respect and admiration. Now the three-time grand slam champion has achieved national-treasure status.
It is no longer possible to argue Murray is under-appreciated: he is a knight of the realm, after all and a two-time winner of the annual popularity contest that is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. However, it is that willingness to engage maturely and thoughtfully in support of his female peers that should elevate him in public opinion even further. It is no exaggeration to say that he has become an important voice in the sport’s battle for equal rights and rewards.
Where other male players have insulted, or at best stayed silent on the glaring pay gap between men and women, Murray has spoken passionately and, more importantly, frequently. He has done it without fanfare and, at times, with an apparent lack of self-awareness.
He has merely spoken with the same blunt honesty that has characterised his dealings with the media throughout his career. This attitude makes him more than just a supreme athlete. It makes him a special person, too.
He will be sorely missed. We just do not really know how much yet.