This time last week, I’m really not ashamed to say, I pitched my tent firmly in the anti- Andy Murray camp. I don’t know what it was, but as a tennis player, I found it highly difficult to warm to him. Whether it was his seemingly emotionless responses to prior wins and losses, or whether it was the fact I was always comparing him to a sporting gentleman and questionably greatest male tennis player of all time, Roger Federer, and with R Feds being an idol of mine, the young Scot never managed to compare. With that in mind, going into this years Wimbledon, I was one of many who would find the state of British tennis quite humorous, yet continue to mock the only person attempting to change the fact.
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To be fair, I wasn’t a part of the ‘anyone but Murray’ brigade, but in all honesty, I thought if he went out in the first round, I would not shed any tears, and would support the legendary Swiss to the end. However, the manner and class in which Murray defeated Davydenko and then Ivo Karlovic (no mean feat considering both have had stints in the top 20, and the former even reaching No. 3 at one point) really did have me taking notice of the talent Britain has in its hands.
As an epic against Baghdatis ended, it had to be said, I started to look back over the 4 or 5 years in which I had disliked this man, and questioned my own motives behind that, and I began to realise, they were limited. I mean, even still now, I get that he comes across as miserable at times, but I thought, who doesn’t?! And seriously, can you really criticise someone purely on a trait we all have at times. I stopped and realised, I’d been a fool, the man was winning me over, and with victories against Cilic, Ferrer and the lovable Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, it could be said I was genuinely over the moon that Andy Murray made it to the Wimbledon final. What a difference a week makes.
Sadly for Murray, it wasn’t to be. His incredibly brave fight against, in my opinion, the most majestic player to grace the court, just fell short. 3 hours and 24 minutes later, even though Federer had his name on the wall, Murray could hold his head high, and I like to think that it was not only me that changed their opinion on the man. If the quality of his tennis didn’t do it, then the post match interview from this ‘emotionless’ Scot must have done. His pure willingness to want to win for himself and the people of Britain is something that really should be admired. From now on, I’m rooting for Andy Murray to win a grand slam. He deserves it.
Thom
