DOUBLE DELIGHT
Murray awarded an OBE as his place on the plane to Rio is confirmed
IF yesterday was a sign of things to come for Jamie Murray, then it could be the start of a very fruitful summer. Although the official confirmation of his place in the British Olympic tennis team for Rio was something of a formality, it was later announced that the 30-year-old from Dunblane has been awarded an OBE for services to tennis and charity.
‘It wasn’t really something I ever thought about,’ said Murray. ‘I was really surprised when I got the letter through the mail.
‘I had been away a lot during March and April. When I got home after quite a long trip, I was going through the mail and it said on the envelope “On Her Majesty’s Service” or whatever. For some reason, I just knew that’s what it was going to be. Instinct, really. It was cool.
‘It’s amazing to be honoured like that. I feel really privileged and excited. There are a lot of sportsmen who have done a lot better things than I have in my career. It’s really nice.’
Murray played a huge part in Great Britain’s historic Davis Cup triumph last year, winning three doubles matches with brother Andy, the most memorable being their five-set triumph over the Australian pairing of Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth in the semifinal at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena.
It was an occasion which clearly captured the imagination of an enthralled British public, with Murray’s fellow Scot and GB team captain Leon Smith also being awarded an OBE yesterday, and admitting he was ‘humbled’ to be recognised.
Murray, for his part, went on to win his first Grand Slam men’s doubles title at the Australian Open in January — with Brazilian partner Bruno Soares — before becoming the first British man under the modern ranking system to became a world No1 in March.
‘Once it’s sunk in, it’s a really nice feeling to be recognised for what you have been able to do in your sport,’ said Murray, who will return to No1 in the doubles rankings on Monday. ‘It’s not like I’ve been at the top of the game for 20 years or anything like that.
‘But to be part of the Davis Cup team, to get to No1 in the world, those are huge achievements. To win the Australian Open this year as well, it’s really nice to be recognised for what you’ve been doing on the court.’
His younger brother has already beaten him to an OBE, of course. But who will be the first to receive a knighthood? ‘The race is on,’ laughed Jamie. ‘He’s a lot further down the line.
‘When we started out at Dunblane Sports Club, we were just running around, picking up tennis balls while my mum was giving lessons to the older kids at the club. Then we finally picked up a tennis racket and gave it a try.
‘To get to where we are, with no kind of history of any kind of success at tennis in Scotland, everything was against us in terms of trying to be tennis players. We have a lot of people to thank for giving us their time and effort and sacrifices, especially my parents, first and foremost, for both creating opportunities for us to do what we wanted to do.’
The Murray brothers were both named in the British Olympic tennis team at yesterday’s official announcement at the Queen’s Club, joining Johanna Konta and Heather Watson in an initial group of four.
Andy was noticeably absent, though, with the world No 2 still feeling the effects of a long and punishing clay season, which culminated in last Sunday’s French Open Final loss to Novak Djokovic.
He is expected to hit for the first time on grass today ahead of the Aegon Championships, which begin on Monday.
In Rio later this summer, Andy will attempt to defend the singles gold medal he won at London 2012. He will also have a strong chance of a medal in the men’s doubles with Jamie, as one of the top seeds, the pair bidding to put disappointing performances in London and Beijing in 2008 behind them.
‘I think we have a chance to do well in the tournament, of course,’ said Jamie. ‘I think we are both playing some of the best tennis of our careers.
‘There is that extra pressure that you want to do well because if you stuff it up, you have to wait another four years. London for me was a real anti-climax. I didn’t perform well at all. I’ll try to make amends for that.’
Scots Colin Fleming and Jocelyn Rae could also be on the plane to Rio after being nominated in the doubles with their respective partners Dominic Inglot and Anna Smith. They will find out if they have been successful in the next few weeks as their rankings are not quite high enough to confirm a place at present.
Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki’s dream of carrying the flag for the Danish Olympic team in Rio may be dashed. The International Tennis Federation have written to the Danish Olympic authorities telling them she has failed to meet the qualifying criteria due to her absences from the country’s Fed Cup team.
She must hope a formal appeal against the decision is successful.
STAN WAWRINKA has addded former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek to his coaching team.
It’s amazing to be honoured like that. I feel very privileged and excited