Now this is a man women truly love.
2
I will miss seeing Andy Murray on the tennis court. I love his demeanor and his chattering to himself when he is out there. He always fights to the very end of a match. When he finally retires I wager that he will get some coaching offers.
I imagine Kleenex will take a hit with Murray's retirement. All those floods of tears and whining on camera certainly won't be missed!
I'm so sad that Andy Murray had to retire for health reasons. Amazing athletes are fairly common but amazing athletes who use their position of fame to do the right thing and help others are rare.
Best of luck, Mr. Murray!
5
Andy Murray will leave a great legacy: both as a player and a feminist. He was the first (and only) top men's player to hire a female coach (Mauresmo); but his appreciation of the women's game goes beyond that. As a player, he has been outstanding. To be in the company of other greats such as Nadal, Djokovic and Federer is a tribute. He is the only men's player who has won 2 Olympic Golds, Federer hasn't won one. (Yes he has a doubles gold).
I will miss Murray. I still remember when he won his first Wimbledon. What an achievement.
Hope he feels better: he is young, another hip operation, another year, who knows?
9
Mr. Murray can take over commentary on women's games from misogynistic McEnroe whose subtly denigrating comments lead me to the mute button whenever he speaks.
12
Perhaps Andy should run for Parliament and become prime minister of Britain. They need someone with stature and conviction.
6
@Anthony Effinger: Maybe he could become the first prime minister of independent Scotland in the EU!
2
I am a woman and USPTA pro who has taught and played at much lower levels than the greats, and as feminist I have always advocated for equality in women's tennis and beyond.
Too many men have either ignored disparity or have eagerly participated in it as they feel entitled to do so. Sarah Silverman and Ellen DeGeneres are right. Murray is "hot" in many ways. And he does not get why it is a big deal that he is such a proponent and fan of women's tennis.
I have an idea. Let's move sexist, boorish McEnroe out of the booth and move Murray into it. I imagine he would share the space well with women.
10
First time I saw Andy play was at the US Open in 2006 in the fourth round, against Davydenko who was at his peak, the foul language from Andy was intense--it was my first trip to a professional tennis match and it really turned me off on Andy and I never really rooted for him again, ha. He was often painful to watch but a great champ and seemingly very different off court, fascinating. BTW he lost that match, but I didn't get to see it as it rained so much the day session was cancelled. I saw him first at the old Armstrong and again this year as he played so poorly at the new and wonderful Armstrong (but no worries about the rain) it was evident that he was in tremendous pain, but I'm glad I got one last look at him in the flesh and he won me over with his fortitude!
1
Finally, the NYT has words of praise for Andy Murray. IMHO he is truly the man Diogenes was seeking... and a phenomenal tennis champion. Besides winning Wimbledon, the US Open, and back-to-back Olympic medals, he won a plethora of other tournaments. Sadly, he wasn't worshiped by the daily press as were Agassi, Federer, Nadal, but he was every bit the champion, and painfully honest to boot.
He never failed to ensure that the point went to his opponent when it was erroneously called. He never failed to praise others regardless of gender or race. He never failed to impress those of us who noticed his shyness.
His refusal to exploit the tragedy at Dunblane was admirable. Others would (and have) exploited whatever they could to boost their own egos. It wasn't an occasion to be milked, and to his credit, he didn't.
I send my undying gratitude to a tennis player who brought me many hours of joy, and who brought fame to Britain for finally being able to produce a champion after so many, many decades of drought.
To paraphrase, "Andy, we hardly knew ye."
22
@carnap
So, he is the opposite or Serena. Good to know.
5
@Shamrock Serena has transformed tennis altogether. What have you done?
5
I love Murray because he speaks up for women but he sealed the deal with me when he made fun of Trump’s explanation of why Trump wasn’t chosen “person of the year.”
17
@Randy
Well, now we know why he is receiving such fawning coverage in the Times today. I didn’t know that. Thank you.
2
Count me skeptical of the impact Andy Murray has had or will have on the future of women’s tennis, tennis,and the world. If Tiger Woods presence didn’t increase the number of African American golfers or golfers of any race, then I think Andy Murray’s influence will be so little as to be unmeasurable. Golf and tennis are dying sports globally, overtaken by the explosion of boys and girls team sports. There are less people, young and old, playing golf and tennis then 40 years ago. Not percentage, real unadjusted numbers.
I’ve been a huge fan of his since he was 17. I wish him the best, but I don’t put the burden on him to change the world or the tennis world, or even the women’s tennis world. Don’t forget Earl Woods himself and the Times was sure Tiger would change the world. Well, we have less young people playing golf now than when his career started. I don’t blame him at all. I always watch him when I attend an event along with thousands of others. While his presence attracts fans and viewers, it hasn’t translated to more golfers. If you doubt me, ask you local PGA professional.
2
@Shamrock
I don't understand the comparison between Andy Murray and Tiger Woods at all. If you want to talk about players who have inspired segments of the population to play and watch tennis, the Williams sisters are the obvious choice. Also, golf is still prohibitively expensive to play for many people, which is not the case with tennis. You can buy a cheap racket and a can of balls at Walmart, hop on a public court, and you're set. Not so much with golf. People have been bemoaning the death of tennis for 30 years. It's not going anywhere.
As someone who has worked for 20 years around numerous former elite college, and even some pro, male tennis players, I can tell you that almost without exception their attitude towards the WTA has been... less than progressive, to put it VERY mildly.
Andy Murray has nothing to gain career wise by speaking out for equality in tennis the way that he has, and I admire him immensely for doing so. Yes, he can be ornery on the court, but he is a clearly emotional player who wears his heart on his sleeve. He will be greatly missed whenever he decides to call it quits.
4
@Shamrock
It is the impact they both made on the wider society, not simply their impact on the number of tennis players or golfers, this is the true measure of their greatness (putting aside their historic achievements in regards to the tournaments won). When I saw the scene at the Tour championship this year, the joyful throng of mostly white America that celebrated the redemption of a fallen black golf star as one of their own by joining him in the walk up to the 18th, I knew I was witnessing the power that a great sports star may have on their nation. When I hear Ellen and Sarah Silverman telling the world that Andy Murray is hot because he's masculine and a feminist I can see in my mind boys looking in the mirror and telling themselves, "I want to be a feminist, too."
3
@Gowan McAvity
If Andy Murray hasn’t changed society by now, I doubt he will when his is done playing. I want him to change society, but I don’t put that burden on him.