Andy Murray is the senior British tennis player among the active members. Murray led his country’s tennis presence for over a decade. Cameron Norrie and Daniel Evans are currently the only British players ranked higher than Murray. After Fred Perry, Murray has been the most successful player from his country and is only twenty-nine matches away from completing a thousand games on tour.
Before becoming Britain’s hero, Murray was not worried about being labeled as moody in his initial playing days. He says that the tag was justified. Murray won his first title in 2006, just a year after turning professional. He won the Dallas Open while defeating the then-world No. 3 Andy Roddick in the semifinals in straight sets. Murray defeated Lleyton Hewitt in the final, which brought him into the spotlight for the first time.
On being asked about the experience of winning his first title on tour, Murray said, “I found the whole experience of my life-changing overnight at 18 years old very difficult, everyone makes lots of mistakes when they’re a teenager.”
“For most of the population, that doesn’t happen in front of millions of people. All the attention was not something I was very well prepared for”. Murray carried the moody tagline for a bit in his growing days and now is a fighter on the court.
Andy Murray considers himself laid-back instead
Murray’s life has changed ever since his hip injury in 2017. The former world No.1 ever since has spent more time off the court with his family and friends. Murray has been to showcase all his emotions on the court, “people see me on TV and think I am very intense, moody and difficult. But take me away from the court and I’m pretty laid-back. I don’t have a temper.” Off the court, he takes things lightly with a sense of humor.
The three-time Grand Slam winner has been looking on the positive side when off-court. He commented, “The good thing about the six months of rehab after the operation was I got to feel what being a retired tennis player would be like. I spent time at home with my family, played lots of golf. I really, really enjoyed it — I’ve got lots of things to look forward to.” Murray will now be traveling from Washington to Toronto, Canada for his next challenge.
Murray Magic ✨@andy_murray | #MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/A6FLiZ2uX3
— Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) August 4, 2023
The 36-year-old last played at the ongoing Washington Open, where he secured an emotional comeback victory against Brandon Nakashima in the first match.
In the next match, Taylor Fritz put an end to Murray’s comeback with a three-hour encounter involving ninety winners. Murray will next play at the National Bank Open in Toronto and will face Lorenzo Sonego in the opening round.