Moira Gordon, an excellent writer, I always think, contributed this interesting article to this week's Scotland on Sunday, one of our national Sunday broadsheets.
Showing his class: Relaxed Andy Murray is ready for Wimbledon
High hopes: Andy Murray believes he can be a genuine contender for the Wimbledon title. "I think when it comes to the pressures and the circus that surrounds Wimbledon, you have to deal with it your own way"
Published Date: 22 June 2008
By MOIRA GORDON
FOR YEARS Tim Henman was the face of Robinsons, the British No.1 and the focus of attention when Wimbledon came round. Andy Murray has fallen heir to two of the three. Apparently he doesn't conform to the image the juice company wants to convey in its adverts.
According to the branding agency, Henman "reflected the values of Robinsons and the middle-class perceptions of tennis. Andy Murray's personality is better aligned with brands seeking a young, more aggressive image".
And it's all about perceptions. Some Murray is happy with like the idea he is chipping away at the belief tennis is a sport purely for the middle classes others he is determined to fight but in a more understated way.
This week Murray chatted openly. As he completed one press conference after another, he smiled, he joked and was good company. In fact, he was everything his critics would have us believe he isn't. But that's the thing, the lad captured on a tennis court, the youngster whose unguarded comments are sometimes distorted, has never been the real Andy Murray. But now rather than rail against the injustice, he has found the maturity to simply get on with it in the hope actions will prove louder than words.
"Obviously I spoke about some things in my book that I was a little bit unhappy with, that I wanted to clear up but in terms of the public, when I speak to a lot of people in the streets and get a chance to do these sort of things, I enjoy it. Whether the general perception of me is good or not there's not too much I can do about that, because I obviously have to try and be my own character and I need to build on that and try to become a better person. But I'm not the one who changes the perception that people have of me. That's not really my job."
While Henman found the best way to cope with the hype and the attention was to intentionally play up to the nice but dull image conjured up for him, happy to lock his personality away behind closed doors, Murray doesn't do magnolia very well. A dulux colour chart of emotions, he fist-pumped, hollered and played keepie-uppie at the baseline. He joked with reporters until he learned the valuable lesson that when punchlines are taken out of context the humour dissipates. Hurt and frustrated, he swayed between the extremes of lashing out, or shutting up. He was cast as some pantomine villian, ("boo hiss, how dare he speak out!"), or worse, a sulking teenager.
But it has happened to them all. The passionate characters, the erstwhile bad boys, ie those who don't conform to middle England's mores. It happened to Agassi, to Connors. Even McEnroe. The fire continued to burn but eventually they learned how to control it so they weren't the ones being scalded.
More relaxed than he has ever been going into the Championships, there is an inner peace, which may help not only Murray's game but also his sanity as the spotlight seeks him out.
"Before, I took more of an interest in what was being said in the press and stuff. I wasn't used to people talking about my game and what have you. This year has been pretty easy. I think the main thing is obviously getting older, more mature, understanding your responsibilities and understanding that you can't take things that have been said about you to heart too much. The rest of the stuff, in terms of the tennis side anyway, you get more experienced and you learn to deal with all the pressures with everyone wanting you to win."
Going into his third Wimbledon, having missed out with a wrist injury last year, he is hoping to improve on his previous best of a fourth round place in 2006 and he is comfortable with the level of attention he is likely to get. As a youngster he remembers the wall-to-wall coverage of Henman. The matches, the previews, the reviews, the celebrities wheeled in to talk about him, the shots of him on the practice courts or relaxing.
"I just never realised how big Wimbledon was because it was just, for pretty much the whole of the first week, it was just Tim the whole time on the TV. You didn't get to see too many of the other British players, which is what I'm guessing is going to happen this year as well. I don't think it's a good thing, it would be nicer if there were more players to support but, yeah, that's just how it is I guess.
"In terms of feeling the pressure, it's not been as bad as it was a couple of years ago. It's been much more relaxed. I think that's a good thing. I think when it comes to the pressures and the whole sort of circus that surrounds Wimbledon, you have to deal with it in your own way. I think if you're being unnatural and not being yourself, it can have a reverse effect. Some guys are slightly more open, some are pretty reserved like Tim was. That's what worked for him but that doesn't mean it's going to work for the next person."
At home on the show courts ever since he made his breakthrough and stunned Radek Stepanek on No.1 Court in his debut year, Murray also claimed the scalp of former finalist Andy Roddick on Centre. That was the day Andy Mania left Murray Mound. "There was one point when I played against Roddick. It was in the tiebreak and we had a really long point and he hit a diving volley and then I got to the ball and passed him. That was the loudest I've had for me on a tennis court. That was the one point or match when I got the best support."
In the players' lounge the foreign players laugh at the pressure heaped on the shoulders of Henman and now Murray at Wimbledon but while it may be an open secret in the locker room, that was the day the Scot truly understood how much the British public want a home triumph.
"I don't know if that is what I was thinking in that moment. But you do understand at the end of matches and when you miss a bad shot the sighs and the groans and what have you yeah, you understand that everyone wants you to win but I view that as being positive. Because a lot of times, you can play matches on the tour when the people watching are obviously enjoying the tennis but they don't mind whether you win or lose. Whereas here, everyone wants you to win, which is good.
"I've enjoyed playing at Wimbledon, the times that I've played before, and haven't felt too much extra pressure playing on the Centre Court. It's more the sort of build up that can create the pressure. And like I said, this time it's been, for me, much more relaxed than it's been in previous years so it shouldn't too much of a problem."
It was Tiger Woods who said he never listens to other people's expectations, he simply tries to live up to his own. Murray has reached that stage and, although he may never be asked to do a Robinsons commercial or one for a soap powder portraying himself as whiter than white, he is a positive advert for the game, regardless what certain snipers say.
