Sir Andy Murray’s intense disappointment that he will not be able to play a final match at Wimbledon, scheduled as doubles with Emma Raducanu but scrapped because of her wrist injury, will be shared by millions of Britons. For the past 19 years the determined and single-minded young player from Dunblane has been an inspiration who has restored hope and pride to British tennis: the first male singles player to triumph at Wimbledon for 77 years, the winner of three grand slams and two Olympic singles gold medals and a player whose physical courage and tenacity have overcome persistent injury and setbacks.
In any other age Murray would have bestrode the tennis globe. But he competed in a time when other colossi denied him the sole spotlight: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have dominated the courts and our screens for well over a decade. Murray has nevertheless shown that he can compete with, and sometimes surpass, the very best. It allows the claim to be made that he is one of the consummate British — and determinedly Scottish — sportsmen of all time.
He also deserves praise for the encouragement he has given to women’s tennis. On every occasion he has pointed out, when others boast about his being the first home-grown Wimbledon champion for so long, that women have triumphed more recently. He has paid tribute to his female coach. And he has acknowledged the huge encouragement of his mother and her dedication to his game. Over the years, the figure now familiar on the hallowed grass court has become an international star. He will have one last championship to test him: the Paris Olympics. It may be tough, given his recent back operation and old injuries. But again the world will see his grit. He is due then to hang up his racket, at the age of 37. But for years to come his game will linger in the public mind.
