LONDON – Great Britain’s undisputed sports hero of the moment won’t be back in action until next year when Olympic gold medalist and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray is expected to lead the United Kingdom in a Davis Cup World Group showdown with the US in February.
Murray, 26, took the Olympic gold medal in men’s singles tennis in London last year, bowling over Roger Federer, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. Last June, he ended the Kingdom’s long title drought at Wimbledon by defeating Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, in the finals. Murray then crashed out of the US Open in the quarterfinals but rebounded to power Britain over Croatia in the Davis Cup World Group playoffs. His heroics brought Britain back to the World Group after five years.
Right after the Davis Cup win over Croatia, Murray underwent lower back surgery to put an end to a nagging pain that led to his withdrawal from the French Open last May and a poor showing at Flushing Meadows. The operation was described as a micro-discectomy to relieve pressure in his sciatic nerve.
Murray, who has earned over $30 million in the pro circuit, lost to Federer in the Wimbledon finals last year, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. At the Australian Open this season, he bowed to Djokovic in the finals, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2. Murray’s dream was to someday conquer Wimbledon. The last Britisher to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon was Fred Perry and that was 77 years ago in 1936. It was Perry’s third straight Wimbledon championship. Today, he is immortalized by the sportswear that uses his name as a brand.
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I recently picked up a copy of a magazine commemorating Murray’s exploits at Wimbledon and was surprised to read why seven is his lucky number. Murray and Sonny Jaworski have something in common.
Murray beat Djokovic on the seventh day of the seventh month this year in his seventh Grand Slam final. It’s been 77 years since Perry became the last Britisher to win Wimbledon’s men’s singles crown. The last British winner of a Wimbledon singles title was Virginia Wade in 1977. The last Scot to win a Wimbledon singles champion was Harold Mahoney 117 years ago. Murray was born seven days before Djokovic in 1987 and in the Wimbledon finals, broke the Serbian’s serve in the seventh game of all three sets and seven times in total.
Murray was destined to win the Wimbledon title because the stars were aligned to make it happen. The number seven proved to be Murray’s lucky charm.
When Murray made his Wimbledon debut at the age of 18 in 2005, the British tennis stars were still Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. As a Wimbledon rookie, Murray made it to the third round before he was bundled out by David Nalbandian. Neither Henman nor Rusedski went farther. Since then, Henman has had his share of close calls at Wimbledon, advancing to the quarterfinals twice and semifinals twice. He never broke through to the finals until this year.
Murray has surrounded himself with experts who play a vital role in keeping him sharp. His coach is Czech Ivan Lendl, a winner of eight Grand Slam titles. Fitness coach is Jez Green and conditioning coach is Matt Little. Danny Vallverdu of Venezuela is his chief sparring partner. Murray’s long-time girlfriend Kim Sears is an artist who paints portraits of pets. They live together in a Surrey mansion with dogs Maggie May and Rusty. Her father Nigel is a tennis coach.
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When Murray battled Djokovic for the Wimbledon title, the live audience included Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, football star Wayne Rooney, Victoria Beckham, Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, retired Olympic champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and prime minister David Cameron. Among the sports stars who tweeted congratulations to Murray were boxers David Haye, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis and Jimmy Connors. Even actors Russell Crowe, Sean Connery and Matthew Perry were listed as Murray fans.
It’s a little-known fact that when Murray was eight years old in 1996, he was at Dunblane Primary when a deranged gunman Thomas Hamilton opened fire and murdered 16 schoolchildren and a teacher. Murray hid under a desk in the headmaster’s office during the massacre. It was a traumatic experience he struggled to live with in his pre-teens. He was also diagnosed at 16 to have been born with a congenital knee defect, something he also had to overcome. Despite his mental and physical setbacks, Murray never lost hope that someday, he would bring glory back to the Kingdom in tennis.
At Wimbledon, Murray was unstoppable, beating Germany’s Benjamin Becker, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, in the first round, Taiwan’s Yen Hsun Lu, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, in the second, Spain’s Tommy Robredo, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5, in the third, Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, 6-4, 7-6, 6-1, Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5, over three hours and 27 minutes in the quarterfinals and Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, in the semifinals before finally trouncing Djokovic.
Winning at Wimbledon before his countrymen was special for Murray. Nothing beats getting the job done at home. After 77 years, Murray has brought the men’s singles championship back to the host nation.