I want a pain-free, normal life for Andy
Today I fly back from Australia, and though I enjoyed my time in Melbourne, I’m glad to be coming home.
From the moment Andy gave his press conference announcing his plan was to retire after Wimbledon, it triggered an enormous amount of interest and column inches. It seemed as though everywhere you turned people were talking about his career and what’s next and the options for his injury.
He had to focus on his match on Monday, taking on Roberto Bautista Agut in the Australian Open. I was very nervous for him beforehand, as I always am for him and Jamie, but with this match I had no idea what to expect. We didn’t know how well or not he would be able to play and best of five sets is brutal.
The tournament director gave him the option of whether he’d like to play on Rod Laver Arena, their Centre Court, or the Melbourne Arena, their second show court. The Melbourne Arena is open to the public and you don’t need a special ticket to get in there so it’s more of a people’s court, which is why Andy chose to play on it.
The atmosphere in there was absolutely incredible, and it showed how loved and respected he is within the sport by the fans. To get a reception like that on the other side of the world was a measure of just how much he is appreciated.
It was an intense battle. In the first two sets he was competitive but understandably just a little off the pace in terms of match fitness but when he started to use his court craft more, I could see he was starting to play a lot better and cause more problems for his opponent.
When he won the third and fourth sets, the crowd went crazy and I was enjoying seeing him play and fight the way he normally does.
He has always loved the battle, and his trademark fighting spirit was there for all to see. It was an extraordinary performance, given the pain he’s in and also the fact that he’s only played two matches since last August. For him to produce such a performance with everything else that’s going on in his life against a top player who doesn’t miss and is going to make you work for every point, was remarkable.
I was so glad to have Jamie sitting beside me. He doesn’t often come to Andy’s matches and vice-versa because they both get really nervous watching each other.
Jamie sat for four hours, and he’s 6ft 3in and stiffens up sitting like that for a long period. It wasn’t the best thing for him to do the day before a match and it took up a lot of emotional energy, so I was really touched and pleased when he said he was coming with me. He spent most of it just looking concerned for Andy as he watched him trying his hardest to compete in pain.
Everybody in sport gets drug tested and you can in all innocence take something that’s not allowed so Andy is really reluctant to take anything for pain relief, which meant he only took a couple of paracetamol before playing.
Watching him was another emotional rollercoaster. I’ve been on it for years with both boys and I’m amazed I’m still alive. Yes, it’s that stressful.
Since they’ve reached the very top of the game, I’ve found the weight of expectation really tough to handle so I tend to go less and less now. If you’re watching on TV you can leave the room, but if you’re sitting in the stadium you’re in there for the long haul.
At the end when Andy lost the match and was sitting on the bench at the side of the court, it’s usual for the winner to be interviewed, but one of the officials came over and said:
“We’ll do an on-court interview with Bautista and then we’ll do one with you, Andy,” so he wasn’t sure what to expect. He did the interview and then the Australian Open played a video montage on the big screens around the court showing top players wishing him well, with as many paying tribute to his character and the person he is as to his achievements.
It was lovely and of course there’s every possibility that he won’t be back at the Australian Open again if he goes through with his plans to stop after Wimbledon, but it was almost like it was all over. He was standing looking up at the montage on the screens and it all felt a little bit final and it’s not quite final yet so it was a bit strange.
Normally when Andy loses in a tournament, he flies out the next day but he couldn’t cope with a 22-hour journey because he was in so much pain so he stayed for an extra day and went back on the Wednesday.
He was so stiff and sore after Monday’s match that even if he had won, I think it would have been almost impossible for him to have played in the next round afterwards.
He’s consulting with his medical team now to decide on the right course of action. I just want him to be free of the pain and be able to live a more normal life, chasing after his kids and playing golf and football.
You can never rule out anything, and who knows what will happen but he’s got some big decisions to make in the coming weeks.
‘ The atmosphere in there was incredible