If only Emma was as bovvered as Andy

How lovely! wimbledon is here at last and our marvellous British tennis stars are… oh dear. on wednesday, Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu both crashed out of the tournament in the second round.

This means that their dreams — and ours — are over for another year. Yet the manner of their exits could not have been more different.

After being beaten in straight sets by rising French star Caroline Garcia, Emma came across as someone who had lost her scarf at wimbledon station, not someone who had lost at wimbledon. ‘There’s no pressure; I am only 19,’ she said, with a shrug of insouciance that only youth can afford.

At that age, life stretches before you like a golden ribbon; endless, limitless. It is only when you get to Andy Murray’s age (35) that you realise you’re playing ‘beat the clock’.

when Andy was 19, he beat Andy Roddick in the third round at wimbledon and was distraught when he lost to Marcos Baghdatis in the fourth round. It would take seven more years of sweat, toil and tears before he actually won the tournament. For Andy it was always a big deal.

Every second of it. Even today, he still burns with the fire and ambition of a true champion.

In comparison, Emma is part of a generation of athletes who seem to be more concerned about their mental health than winning titles. They are just not that bovvered!

while that is an admirable attitude, it doesn’t always lead to a groaning trophy cabinet. And if you don’t want to win, what the hell is the point?

Speaking of wimbledon, two things. Firstly, who let all the oiks in? During Murray’s match against John Isner, the crowd sounded and behaved like beered-up hooligans at a football match. why didn’t the umpire tell them to shut up?

Secondly, we need to talk about Andrew Castle. The Partridge- esque BBC tennis commentator gets worse every year. ‘Isner a family man. Two children to Murray’s three,’ he said, as if that were somehow a victory for the home team. He also talked about Andy’s ‘educated hands’ when he was playing ‘undeniable tennis’.

worst of all were the repeated references to Isner’s 6ft 10in height. we don’t need to hear that he has to go ‘a long way down to pull up his socks’.