A love story: Director on injured star’s passion for his sport and burning desire to play again
Movie-maker salutes Andy Murray after following his agonising fightback to fitness after career-threatening hip operation
It is a story of hurt, anguish, determination and recovery.
But, above all, according to the director behind a documentary charting Andy Murray’s comeback, it is a love story. Director Olivia Cappuccini followed the two-time Wimbledon champ ion almost every day for 18 months as he attempted to overcome seeming ly insurmountable odds. And, she says, the spor ts superstar lays bare his passionate, complicated relationship with his sport.
She said: “In my mind the film is a love story between Andy and the game. He was in so much pain he couldn’t even walk properly, yet he was willing to do anything possible to keep playing, even putting himself through more pain.
“It’s complex, like all relationships. He loves the sport, yet when he wins his greatest titles it looks like he’s relieved – it doesn’t look like a sense of joy or euphoric catharsis that he so deserves and to this day I’m not sure if he’s enjoyed his accolades or achievements as he should.
“Anyone who’ s been in chronic pain or has their identity attached to what they do in a similar way, even if it’s not high profile, will be able to relate.
“He was willing to go through the emotional, physical and mental pain to return to playing.
“Towards the end of the film, he says he’s just happy not being in pain any more, but I think Andy is more determined than ever to return to the highest level with this metal hip.
“That conflict within him continues and I think that’s really endearing and human.” The film, Andy Murray: Resurfacing, provides accessall-areas footage of the 32- yearold from Dunblane, including graphic scene soft he metal hip operation that has ultimately allowed him to return
to the sport. The feature- length documentary receives its world premiere in London tomorrow, with Andy in attendance.
He is now back playing after injury and his and Kim’s third child, Teddy, was born last month.
Last week, he admitted his injury affected their marriage: “I don’t know if the children noticed because when I’m with them I’m always trying to put on a brave face, but my wife, definitely.
“It put a lot of strain on our relationship, just because I was down all the time.
“She has been brilliant and I would probably be quite selfish, just in terms of thinking about myself and how I’m feeling all the time and not actually realising the impact that has on all the people around me.” One of the other revealing moments is when Andy describes a series of childhood traumas that led to him dealing with anxiety as a youngster.
In it, Andy talks about how three incidents – the Dunblane school tragedy, his parents’ divorce and his brother Jamie moving away to pursue a tennis career – all came in quick succession and affected him greatly.
Tennis was an escape and even today he says the sport makes him feel like a child who is full of questions.
“It took me by surprise,” Olivia said. “We’d talked six months previously about why he took tennis so seriously and he said there was another part to it that he didn’t want to go into at that time. He sent me this audio file later in the year, in December, when he was at his lowest. I think it helped I was an outsider. “I think it was something he needed to say at that time. I hope it was cathartic to explain and marry up where his head was at, why he was feeling that way and what the sport meant to him.”
Olivia was hugely impressed by the star’s calm determination to recover his fitness and says she never saw him giving into anger or frustration.
She said: “Andy was really stoic and graceful about a very complicated and emotionally disturbing journey and I just couldn’t understand how he never lost his temper.
“His identity is attached to the game and to be putting his body through surgeries, rehabs, multiple cortisone injections, and having to explain his situation continually and to be knocked back time and time again, as well as being in constant pain, I thought it was amazing he never got angry.
“He became upset, of course, because nothing was in his control and he wanted this so much, but I think that’s what sets him apart from everyone else.
“Even when he announced his retirement, because of his determination, I never thought it would be the end.”
The film begins in January 2018 in Australia, as Andy goes for arthroscopy surgery and follows him through rehab, a failed comeback, meetings with specialists, a retirement announcement at the following year’s Australian Open, more surgery and rehab, and a winning return to doubles action at the Queen’s Club tournament in London in June.
“When he had his surgery in 2018, his wife, Kim, asked me if I’d be interested in documenting the six-month rehab,” Olivia explained.
“I’ve known the family for a few years and I think because of that, we had a very relaxed environment.
“Within the first two months, Andy hit his first bump and it began to dawn on him that the surgery might not have been the thing to fix the hip, and we reassessed the type of film we were making.”
Andy never asked Olivia to stop recording, even during his hip resurfacing operation.
“He felt it was important to show people what an athlete’s body goes through, the trauma that’s inflicted on it and then trying to come back and compete. I was surprised the medical staff allowed me in to the theatre.”
Olivia believes the documentary, which Andy has yet to see, will provide a lasting documentation of what he has gone through to return to the game.
“It’s a universal film and hopefully wi l l inspire people to commit to do what they dream of, too,” she said.
Andy Murray: Resurfacing is on Amazon Prime from Friday