Thank You, Andy

Growing up I never was a big Andy Murray fan. I wasn’t a fan of anybody who could possibly beat Federer on a big stage. But somewhere along the way he won me over. I think it was at the Australian Open, when they tried to retire him, made a tribute video for him announcing his retirement that he never announced. Then he got a hip resurfacing surgery. No singles player had come back from before and came back to win best 3 out of 5 set matches with a metal hip. When he first came back I’d say to bet against that guy, there’s no shot he can win 3 out of 5. He has a metal hip. But even that, he continued to get better at it and eventually started winning multiple best of 5 matches again.

My first memory ever of Andy Murray was when he was young at Wimbledon playing Gasquet. It was getting dark out and Murray’s hitting running backhand winners, jumping on the side barrier and celebrating with the crowd. Flexing. The iconic picture, video, whatever we’ve all seen it. But that personified was Andy Murray and who he’d continue to be for the next 20 years. 

I don’t know Andy Murray. But I did see him at breakfast at Indian Wells once when I was 13 or 14. Asked him for a picture while he was eating, sat down next to him, and we went about our day. It was just the other day I realized if my mom or dad said something to me while I eat breakfast I got mad, let alone a random kid at a hotel. He could’ve said not today kid, i just went 3 with Garcia Lopez. Then I got to spend some time with Liam Broady a few years back and he’d talk about their great relationship. I thought he was exaggerating for sure but then you see the exchanges on twitter, and it’s like no they’re really boys. And the video of Draper hammering cold sodas while Andy drives him home from Davis Cup. I had older guys that were good to me growing up, so I know that impact. And for that guy to be Andy Murray has to be damn cool. Whether he knows it or not, those guys will never forget.

Then in the doubles matches this week at the Olympics it was obvious how much he meant to Dan Evans also. Saying he just didn’t want to miss the last shot to end Murray’s career (which he ended up doing). But him pumping him up and at one time telling him “You’re Andy f****** Murray”. Murray gets left out of the big 3 all the time because they all had 20 slams and he had 3, but he’s got 2 Olympic Golds that none of them have. In a different era, he has an Agassi like career. He broke the Wimbledon drought for his home country. It was originally a big 4. 

He never made it look easy. When you watch him it’s not a huge serve or some amazing 100mph forehand. He has to work for everything. On top of that it never was Federer-like ease with him. With Andy Murray it was Blue Gollar Gold Swagger. He had energy out there but he had to get it out the mud the way he played. Even the way his career went nothing came easy he had to earn everything he got.

But that’s Andy Murray. The kid from day 1 wearing Fred Perry, fighting in the dark with the crowd, to the 37 year old saving 5 match points in a row jumping around with his teammate and fans, he never gave up. And from day 1 sticking up for what he believed in, for what was right. The countless times he stuck up for women’s athletes. He did it his way. I mean the guy even switched from Adidas to Under Armour, who would do that?

In all seriousness it’s pretty cool a person can be remembered as a fighter like Nadal, but a good person like Federer. Andy Murray. One of a kind. Thank you, Andy.