ANGRY MURRAY
He’s fed up with losing . . . and irked by players not being jabbed
ANdy MurrAy left California contending with double frustration: another painful defeat, and the irritation of having to act as an unofficial spokesman on the subject of vaccines.
Having been edged out of the bNP Paribas Open by Alex Zverev, he then found himself supporting Victoria politicians demanding Australian Open players be double jabbed.
The 34-year-old scot is getting fed up with the situation that still sees more than a third of them unvaccinated, even with the threat of severe quarantine awaiting those in Melbourne who decline to get vaccinated.
‘i’d rather focus on the tennis,’ said Murray. ‘We’re concentrating on the vaccine a lot because a lot of the players haven’t taken it yet.’
Melbourne is desperately trying to get its vaccine numbers up as it battles Covid. it will be politically unacceptable for the authorities there to make any exceptions for tennis players who decline to get jabbed.
‘My understanding is if you’re unvaccinated you’re still allowed to play, it’s just the rules are going to be different, and that’s understandable,’ said Murray.
‘you might have to leave (for Australia) a few weeks earlier than everyone else. That’s the player’s choice. if the local government puts that in place, i would support that, it would be great.’
Murray responded to his 6-4, 7-6 defeat by storming off the court and then later posting a one-word expletive on his social media. The former world No1 later told the bbC that it was unlikely he would make himself available for the davis Cup finals week next month.
What is eating away at him is no longer the inability to compete physically, but the loss of his one-time gift of playing the big points better than almost anyone. it was his fifth tiebreak lost in succession, for example.
‘i played poorly and was still right in there with a shot at both sets,’ he reflected. ‘so if it was a physical thing i’d come in
here and be like, “i’m not enjoying that”.
‘At Wimbledon (versus denis shapovalov), i felt outclassed, i felt rubbish whereas now, on the actual tennis side of things, it feels a bit different.’