Sports
Andy Murray, Wimbledon & the Olympics – four weeks that changed it all
![](https://i2.wp.com/ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_sport/e9ae/live/4ce61540-2fe8-11ef-90be-b75b34b0bbb2.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
Before he was Sir Andrew Murray OBE, world number one, three-time Grand Slam champion, one of the nation’s greatest-ever athletes… he was, to one woman at least, something altogether less celebratory.
In 2006, the football World Cup was taking place at the same time as Wimbledon. A 19-year-old Murray, himself once a promising youth footballer, joked in an interview that he would support “whoever England were playing against”.
It went down like a lead balloon. He was abused in the comments of a blog he wrote on his website and even his wristbands, decorated with the Scottish saltire, attracted scrutiny.
Murray had become a lightning rod, attracting ire in an edgy Anglo-Scottish atmosphere. The previous month, the then Scottish First Minister had been criticised for saying he would not be supporting England.
But the reaction to Murray’s joke was on a far larger scale.
In the aftermath, Murray, playing only his second Wimbledon, walked past a spectator on the way to his match. He overheard her telling a friend, in expletive-laden and anti-Scottish language, that she had just spotted him.
“I was like, What? I was 19. This is my home tournament. Why is this happening?” Murray remembered in a 2017 interview., external
“I was still a kid and I was getting things sent to my locker saying things like: ‘I hope you lose every tennis match for the rest of your life.'”
By the time 2012 rolled around, Murray had already broken new ground.
He had reached the US Open final in 2008, becoming the first British man to make a major final since Greg Rusedski in New York 11 years earlier.
Two further Slam final appearances followed – the Australian Open in 2010 and 2011 – but Britain was still searching for a first male major singles champion since Fred Perry in 1936.
But the ambivalence of some of the general public remained.
As the Twitter joke went, Murray was British when he won and Scottish when he lost.
It sometimes seemed there was something inordinate about Murray – his outspokenness was loved to a certain point, his on-court anger amusing when he was winning but derided when he was losing.
At this point, Murray was a nascent member of the Big Four. Roger Federer was transcendent, described as a ‘god’, especially at Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal had the grit, the determination, the never-say-die attitude.
Novak Djokovic, another relative newcomer trying to upset their duopoly, defied belief, limbs bending every which way, equipped with an endurance level and mental strength few can match.
But Murray? Murray was the most human. A man who sometimes looked as if he actively hated the sport of tennis. No-one could ever accuse Murray of hiding his emotions. And that rubbed up some the wrong way.
He was accused of being whingey, of being anti-English, of being boring, when really he was doing what we all do – getting frustrated about the job and attempting to have a laugh along with it.
“I think it’s very difficult for any young player who is thrust into the spotlight to get to grips or feel comfortable with facing and understanding the media,” said his mum Judy, speaking on Andy Murray: Will to Win, a recent BBC Sport documentary.
“One of the things in tennis is that players have to face the media after every match whether they win or lose. Of course, it’s a lot easier to face the media when you’re winning.
“As an 18-year-old he’d had a little bit of media training but nothing really prepares you for suddenly being in front of a room of about 300 people.
“I think his reaction to anything is to be truthful and say what you’re thinking. In years to come, you will become much more practised.”
Sports
Women's T20 Cricket
![](https://i3.wp.com/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1200x675/p0j8bqht.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
Highlights of England and New Zealand’s first T20 match at Utilita Bowl, Southampton.
Source link
Sports
Watch the thrilling tie-break as Zverev beats Norrie to make last 16
![](https://i0.wp.com/ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/1024/cpsprodpb/50f8/live/537ecdf0-3bc5-11ef-bbe0-29f79e992ddd.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
Watch the deciding third set tie-break as Alexander Zverev beats Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4 7-6 (17-15) to make it into the last 16 of Wimbledon.
Source link
Sports
Warren Gatland: Wales coach reflects on Australia defeat in Sydney
![](https://i1.wp.com/ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_sport/2121/live/366e5bb0-3b96-11ef-ad11-c1bbd09d8fae.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
Head coach Warren Gatland says it is “just where we are at the moment” after Wales slumped to statistically their worst position in World Rugby’s rankings.
Wales’ new low spot of 11th means they have slipped outside the top 10 for the first time since the rankings were introduced in 2003.
The 25-16 defeat by Australia in Sydney was an eighth successive loss for Wales.
It also represented a 14th defeat in 20 games during Gatland’s second stint as head coach.
“We know where we are at the moment – we’re developing this team,” said Gatland.
“We said all along and have been up front in what we’re trying to do.
“I hope people can see some development in terms of the players and experience with what we’re trying to do towards the next World Cup.
“I understand you are going to get pressure from people talking about a losing run at the moment.
“But in that run we’ve been in games, been in front and easily could have won a few, and tonight’s the same.
“I thought there were some positives in terms of what we’re trying to do. A bit more accuracy, you get decisions which go your way and you win.
“Those are big moments we need to learn from to make sure in those tight matches, you end on the winning side.”
-
African History5 years ago
A Closer Look: Afro-Mexicans 🇲🇽
-
African History5 months ago
Black History Facts I had to Learn on My Own pt.6 📜
-
African History5 years ago
A Closer Look: Afro-Mexicans 🇲🇽
-
African History1 year ago
Major African Tribes taken away during the Atlantic Slave Trade🌍 #slavetrade #africanamericanhistory
-
African History1 year ago
Cameroon 🇨🇲 World Cup History (1962-2022) #football #realmadrid #shorts
-
African History5 months ago
Black History Inventors: Mary Kenner 🩸
-
African History1 year ago
PROOF AFRICAN AMERICANS AIN'T FROM AFRICA DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE
-
African History1 year ago
No African pre-Columbus DNA? 🤯🤯 #history #mesoamerica #mexico #african