I’m writing this tribute following Andy Murray’s five set thriller against Roberto Bautista Agut, a match that gripped the sporting world and will live long in the memory. Two sets down, practically playing on one leg, he showed the most incredible heart, fight, passion and skill to win two thrilling tie-breaks. The crowd were going crazy, Murray jumping around as if he’d won the title, look what it means to him – it makes the retirement due to injury even more devastating. Yes he lost the match, but Murray won the respect of everyone and proved just how special he is. All his career he’s had doubters, doubt him now. Three time grand slam champion, two Olympic golds, a Davis Cup win and a former world number one. The stats look good, but forget about them for a second, Murray is a fighter – he leaves absolutely everything on the court. His attitude is why we’ve loved him over the years, the highs of that moment he beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 Wimbledon final, to the lows of the post-match interview with Sue Barker after losing in the final the previous year to Roger Federer. What a journey it’s been, what a warrior and champion.
It all started back in 2005. 18 year old Murray became the youngest player to ever represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup, he then turned professional in April that year, won his first ATP match at Queens, and reached the third round at Wimbledon. Even as a teenager, you could see the Scot had that grit and determination, he was a born winner and he’s proved it throughout his career.
In early 2006, Murray became British number one and achieved a world ranking of 42. At Cincinnati, he became only one of two players, alongside Rafael Nadal, to defeat Federer in 2006, breaking the Swiss star’s 55 match winning streak on hard courts. He lost two rounds later to Andy Roddick, but broke into the top 20 for the first time. When the tour reached San Jose, California; Murray defeated a top ten player for the first time, Andy Roddick. Murray went on to claim the SAP Open title defeating world number 11 Lleyton Hewitt.
Skip to the 2008 US Open. If you didn’t rate Murray as world class before the tournament started, you certainly did after it. He produced two incredible performances to overcome Juan Martin Del Potro and Nadal, to setup his first major final against the great Federer. The final went the way of the 20 time grand slam champion, as he won in straight-sets with relative ease, however it proved to be a very good learning experience for Murray who was still just 22.
The Brit started to win tournaments regularly, and climb the rankings by beating world class players with stunning performances. In the first half of 2009, Murray won three tournaments in Qatar, Rotterdam and Miami, which saw him reach the highest ever ranking of a British male in the Open Era when he reached the number three ranking on 11th May 2009. Onto the grass, Murray was favourite to become the first Brit to win Queens since 1938. He duly delivered, defeating American James Blake in the final. Could he do the double and become Wimbledon champion? Not just yet, Murray lost a thrilling semi-final against Roddick.
In the first major of 2010, Murray lost his second final to old nemesis Federer. Again, the Scot performed remarkably well throughout the tournament, beating Marin Cilic and Nadal on route to the final in Melbourne.
“I can cry like Roger Federer, it’s a shame I can’t play tennis like him.” Murray during his runner’s up speech at the 2010 Australian Open.
The next two years proved frustrating. Lots of brilliant tennis, plenty of tournament wins, but the grand slams kept eluding him. During the spell of 2010-2011, Murray reached two grand slam finals, losing to Federer and Novak Djokovic; while also reaching three semi-finals, losing them all to Nadal. Will he ever win a grand slam?
It was another defeat in a grand slam semi-final in Melbourne for Murray, when he was beaten by Djokovic in one of the greatest tennis matches ever, lasting four hours and 50 minutes. In July 2012, the Scot beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-final in four sets to become the first male British player to reach the final of Wimbledon since Bunny Austin in 1938. In the final, he faced Federer, but after taking the first set, he lost the match in four sets. The interview that followed was one of the most iconic sporting interviews ever, as he broke down in tears, he had to win Wimbledon one day.
MURRAY WINS OLYMPIC GOLD IN LONDON. AND HE BEAT FEDERER. All of a sudden, he made winning look rather easy. He controlled the match and showed no signs of nerves in the final, losing just seven games and winning in straight-sets. You could see the relief, he had eventually won a major tournament. Everyone knew this was the breakthrough win, he was too good to not win grand slams.
Murray become a grand slam champion, at last. After defeating Tomas Berdych in a marathon semi-final, he met Djokovic in the final. The match was incredible, neither deserved to lose. However, nobody deserved a slam more than Andy Murray, and after winning a fifth set decider 6-2, he eventually got his hands on the coveted US Open trophy.
Djokovic got revenge at the Australian Open, as he beat Murray comfortably in the final. Fatigue was a factor after Murray won an epic five set battle against Federer in the semi-finals, his first win against him at a grand slam.
The waiting is over. Andy Murray is Wimbledon champion.
If you didn’t cry that day, you’re lying. HE DONE IT. HE WON WIMBLEDON. YES. A year on from crying with sadness, he was crying with happiness. It made the win extra special. Henman hill went crazy, euphoria in the stands of centre court and Judy just couldn’t believe her eyes. All the sacrifices and dedication was worth it. A straight-sets win over Djokovic in the final sounds pretty comfortable, not when I remind you that the final game took over 12 minutes, but eventually he won it on his fourth championship point. The win made him the first British male to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry, in 1936. It was worth the wait.
Murray struggled with a lower back injury for the remainder of 2013, and after losing to Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarter-finals of the US Open, he opted for surgery. However, despite returning to action in January 2014, the year didn’t go to plan at all. Murray dropped outside the top 10 for the first time since 2008, after failing to reach any grand slam finals. His quest to defend the Wimbledon title was ended by Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals.
The Brit returned to form in 2015, but ran into a formidable Djokovic, who was nigh on unstoppable. It’s easy to look back on Murray’s career and say he should have won more. He played at a standard that would win grand slams comfortably in another era, but having to beat two of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer to win a tournament is a huge ask. The Serb beat Murray at both the Australian Open and French Open, while Federer defeated him in the semi-finals at Wimbledon. Away from grand slams, GREAT BRITAIN WON THE DAVIS CUP. Murray won both his singles match, while also winning in the doubles with his brother Jamie partnering him. This was Britain’s first Davis Cup win since 1936, another record broken.
2016 was undoubtedly the best year of Andy Murray’s career – results and performance wise. Surprisingly, he lost in the final of the Australian Open final, to Djokovic again. Then, he done the unthinkable in Madrid, by beating Nadal ON CLAY. For those that didn’t know, Nadal’s win to loss record at the French Open (clay court )is 86-2. Wow. Unfortunately for Murray, guess who was waiting in the final? Djokovic. Of course Djokovic won again, he was unbeatable.
He’s won it again. Andy Murray has won it again.
After recording his fifth Queens title, Murray entered Wimbledon 2016 as a strong favourite. He played like a champion throughout the tournament, dominating his opponents and in the form of his life. ‘Muzza’ dropped just two sets on his way to the final, where he met grand slam final debutant, Milos Raonic. The match was tight, but Murray played the big points perfectly, and served brilliantly, winning the 6-4 7-6 7-6, to claim his second Wimbledon title.
Next on his agenda, becoming the first player EVER to win two Olympic golds in tennis, he couldn’t, could he? YES HE COULD. THIS IS ANDY MURRAY. He made us experience 1000 different emotions during the four hour war with Del Potro, but eventually he crossed the winning line again and won another Olympic gold medal. What an achievement.
A 26 match winning streak, saw Murray become world number one for the first time in his career. He reached the final of the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time before winning against Djokovic in two sets, and in doing so, becoming the first player to win a Grand Slam, the ATP World Tour Finals, the men’s singles at the Olympic Games and a Masters 1000 title in the same calendar year.
I’d love to continue writing about grand slam wins, because I’m certain it would’ve happened. He was sensational. But, injuries have prevented it. In 2017, Murray suffered from elbow and hip injuries. He lost in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, but the real worry was his movement, the hip worsened throughout the tournament, to a point that meant Murray could hardly play a shot without grimacing in pain. Horrible to see a player that was destined to dominate, have it taken away because of injury.
Murray underwent hip surgery in early 2018. Sadly, he never fully recovered. There was attempted comebacks, but his movement was limited, the pain was still there and the quality was nowhere near of the standard he sets himself.
In early 2019, Murray announced he is going to retire after playing Wimbledon. How gutting. A player that deserved to go out on his own terms, had his career cut short due to injury. I’ve no doubt that he would of won more grand slams, but at least he won Wimbledon, the Olympic golds, conquered America, along with everything else he won in the sport. He’s been a pleasure to watch, gave us amazing entertainment. There’s been the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but what a ride it was. It’s been good to look back on his glittering career, and it makes you realise just how good he was, in the best era ever. Take away the tournaments, you have a player that just loves playing tennis and gives everything to win. His game was perfect. Speed, power, aggression, but he also possessed the ability to play delicate delightful drop-shots, or slice for fun and tie his opponents in knots. I could write about him all day, but it’s important to sign off positively, yes it’s sad the way it’s ended – but look at the positives, remember the moments he won. People dream of seeing a Brit win Wimbledon, he made all our dreams come true.
What a player.
What a champion.
Thank you Sir Andy Murray.
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