Andy Murray’s tears at the end of the climatic battle against world number one Roger Federer in the final of the Australian Open tennis tournament may have brought a new dimension to his tough, even sulky exterior.
It came as a surprise to many to see Murray break down in tears from physical and mental exhaustion. The two-week battle of gaining a place in the final and the overall pressure of losing to Federer seemed to have taken its toll.
But family and friends and those who have met him away from the limelight were quick to say that that moment of weakness reveals more of the real Andy. And showing that raw emotion may have won him sympathy towards his new ‘big softy’ image.
Andy’s grandmother, Shirley Erskine, believes Andy will no doubt be disappointed at losing and thinks he will “be a little bit gutted to see the photographs of when he broke down yesterday. But I think it endeared him to a lot of people.”
His generosity seems to come naturally to Andy who helped the North of Scotland amateur tennis team after Wimbledon last year. His true gentle side also comes across when he trains with juniors who look to him as their idol.
Alexandra Hunter is one of the country's most promising young players and believes Andy has been a great help towards her: “He’s just really kind and he helped me, I was really shy inside but he really wanted to help me.”
Mhairi Brown, who used to train with Andy in Scotland noticed he was always “a big softy”. “He loved animals, I think it was his gran who had this dog who he just doted on,” she said.
Support has also come in from celebrity fans Sir Alex Ferguson and comedian Billy Connolly. Sir Alex believes Murray’s disappointment will make him stronger. He said: “I’ve always related my own disappointments to the best parts of my life. I do better when I lose a game and I’m a better manager the next day.”
Comedian Billy reckons it won’t be long before the world number three seed will be shedding tears of joy. “Once he gets his first one, he’s a bit like Celtic once they start doing they’ll just not stop doing it.”
