Tantrums? I can make a racquet too!
Andy gets his temper from... grandad
FOR all his tennis achievements, Andy Murray will for ever be associated with volatile behaviour and colourful language on court.
Yet the source of the world number two’s trademark temper has always been a mystery – until now.
It seems the two-time Grand Slam champion has inherited his explosive personality from... his grandfather.
Despite his meek appearance, Roy Erskine, 84, has revealed that he too has a habit of erupting into fury at tense moments during matches.
In an interview with Radio Times, he confessed to kicking furniture when his grandson is struggling and admitted he prefers watching on TV rather than live as he can show his emotion.
He said: ‘When Andy’s not playing well, I can get very upset with him. I prefer watching Andy’s matches on TV to being there and seeing it live, because if I’m watching live I can’t express concern – and that’s especially true of Wimbledon.
‘If I’m at home I can kick the coffee table and use some language that I probably shouldn’t.
‘The reason I get upset is that, because he’s such a good player, I feel as though he should win every point – and of course he doesn’t.’
The former professional footballer for Hibernian said that in contrast to his ‘shrieking’, his wife Shirley is always ‘very quiet’ when watching tennis.
He added: ‘Shirley has largely given up trying to get me to calm down when Andy is playing. Shirley is very quiet during Andy’s matches – that’s the only time she is quiet. Meanwhile, I’m shrieking away and telling Andy what he should have done.’
The couple have often been seen at Wimbledon to watch their two grandsons, Andy and doubles star Jamie.
Mr Erskine said that he saw the competitive spirit in Andy from a very young age but also some early lapses in composure.
He recalled a time when the soonto-be tennis pro grew increasingly impatient when they were rallying and said: ‘For goodness’ sake, Grandpa, play properly and stop doing those twiddly shots.’
Mr Erskine said: ‘It was obvious early on how competitive Andy was. Both the boys, when they were very young, played in the second gents’ team for Dunblane – and
‘At home, I can kick the coffee table’
it wasn’t long before Andy was telling his very senior partners how they should be playing and where they should be standing.’
Meanwhile, Serena Williams’s coach has said it was ‘strange’ but ‘courageous’ for Murray to hire a female coach when he enlisted Amélie Mauresmo. Their two-year partnership recently came to an end.
Patrick Mouratoglou, who has coached Williams since 2012 and is rumoured to be dating her, said the men’s tennis tour is ‘a very macho world’, which is why players typically hire men as their coaches.
‘Nothing bad about women but it’s strange because usually they don’t know the men’s game as well as the women’s game. It was very courageous of Andy to hire her,’ he told Radio Times.
‘I’m not saying it was a mistake, but he didn’t win anything major with Amélie. If Andy had won two or three grand slams with Amélie, we would see it differently.’