(Getty)
Andy Murray is one of the most decorated tennis players of the moment.
So far, the 27-year old has won the 2012 US Open, was victorious at Wimbledon in 2013 and stands as the reigning Olympic singles champion.
On September 3, Murray faces Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open’s Men’s Quarterfinals. The two have played 20 times before.
Read on for more about the Scot’s personal life and his path to victory.
1. He Was the First Brit to Win Wimbledon in 77 Years
Murray beat Djokovic in the 2013 Wimbledon final, becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry did it in 1936.
In his post-match interview, he was asked if the win would change his life.
“Look, I don’t know. I don’t know how it will change my life. I hope not. I hope not too much.
But, yeah, I mean, the atmosphere today was different to what I’ve experienced in the past. It was different to last year’s final, for sure. And then, yeah, the end of the match, that was incredibly loud, very noisy,” he replied.
2. He Has a Longtime Love
(Getty)
Murray met Kim Sears at the 2005 U.S. Open. The English teenager was traveling with her father, Nigel, who was the head of the women’s tennis association in England at the time.
He went public with their courtship in 2006 at the SAP Open in San Jose, when he gave her some major PDA in the stands.
In an interview with Jonathan Ross, shown below, he talked about how after he won Wimbledon, many people asked him one specific question, which was “When are you going to get married?”
Even thought they haven’t yet made it official, the tennis great does gush about his suportive girlfriend, once telling the Daily Mail:
I work better in a relationship. At the end of a day, especially if I’ve lost a match, I don’t like talking about tennis, so it’s nice to have someone to talk to about other stuff. As I have got older, having gone through my parents divorce, it has become important to me to work hard at having a successful relationship. I found the divorce difficult.
3. He Just Released a Book
His memoir, Seventy-Seven: My Road to Wimbledon Glory, was released on September 1.
Amazon explained the book like so:
In a memoir focusing on the last two dramatic years, he shares his thoughts on the pivotal moments of his playing career and allows fans a glimpse into his world—his intense training regime, his close-knit team, and his mental and physical battle to get to the very top.
In the account, he describes his nerve-racking experience at Wimbledon, when during final game of the match, he had lost three championship points.
ESPN published this excerpt:
Having been three times within a solitary point of the title I had craved for so long, the gulf I had to bridge had now been extended to two points. That is when the shaking began.
It’s hard to describe accurately the pressure and nerves I was experiencing at that moment because I sensed that if I lost this point it might all be over, the opportunity completely gone.
I was thinking that this could be the only chance I ever have, so it was unbelievably hard not to allow myself to think ahead, to think how it might feel having to play those points that were yet to come.
4. He Has a Shower Scene
HEAD Tennis, the tennis apparel and equipment company, made this promotional video when Murray was prepping for Wimbledon.
At the end of the commercial, shown above, which includes a shower scene by the athlete, the message, “Get really close to Andy Murray,” flashes across the screen.
5. He’s a Will Ferrell Fan
In the clip above, as Ferrell is being interviewed at the 2014 Open, Murray crashes to shake hands with his friend.
In 2009, the pair played doubles against Will Arnett and Andy Roddick.
Andy Roddick and Will Arnett vs Andy Murray and… by dsqnm
