Andy Murray ensconced as British sporting icon
The outpouring of sadness and respect in Britain over the news of Andy Murray’s imminent retirement makes it easy to forget the emotional barrier that existed for so long between the Scottish tennis great and sports fans in his own country.
Grumpy, sulky, petulant, cold. That was the initial view toward Murray, who will end his career — sometime this year, it seems — as one of Britain’s greatest ever sportspeople as well as a champion of equality, a role model and a shining example of how to maximize talent.
It was a tearful Murray who said Friday his battle with a long-standing hip injury was making his day-to-day life a “struggle.” And it was tearful performance on Wimbledon’s Centre Court years ago which finally persuaded the British public to take Murray to their hearts.
In July 2012 — before he won any of his three Grand Slam titles, his two Olympic medals, or led Britain to its first Davis Cup in 79 years — an emotional Murray broke down in an
on-court interview following his four-set loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final.
“I felt like I was playing for the nation,” Murray said, his bottom lip quivering, “and I couldn’t quite do it.”
Inadvertently, it might have boosted his public standing more than winning the title.
In an instant, Murray was humanized. His emotions laid bare, it felt like he was finally accepted by the whole country, not just tennis fans who had long appreciated his undoubted talent since turning pro in 2005.
Murray’s popularity soared and perhaps it was no coincidence that,
from that turning point, he became something of a sporting phenomenon in Britain. He won Olympic gold a month later — fittingly on the same Wimbledon lawns — and his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open soon after.
The following year, he became the first British man to win the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936. In 2015, he inspired Britain to the Davis Cup title. By the time he had won Wimbledon and the Olympic singles title again in 2016, he was firmly in the conversation about Britain’s greatest sports star and the public was enamored.
He was honored with a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017, the same year he rose to No. 1 in the rankings for the
first time.
It was no surprise, therefore, that Murray led the news bulletins Friday morning as Brits woke up to the news about his likely retirement, while social media was awash with praise and discussion about his impact on tennis and sports in general.
“Whatever happens next, you’ve done more than you know,” read a tweet from Wimbledon’s official account, above a picture of Murray clutching his face the moment he won the singles title at the All England Club for the first time.
While Murray was widely hailed as the epitome of hard work and determination, his work in championing equality in tennis was also highlighted.