Andy Murray trolls Donald Trump on Twitter
What's the story?
Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray took to Twitter to mock the 45th President of the United States. The leader of the free world posted the following tweet around one hour prior to Murray's scathing parody.
Trump is famous for his twitter account and his tweets that have not gone through any media training. He was complaining about having to jump through hoops to gain an award from Time Magazine.
The heart of the matter
The Scottish star compared Trump's potential "Man of the Year" award to the upcoming BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. The prize is bestowed to the best sportsperson in the United Kingdom that year.
Murray has won the award a record three times in 2013, 2015 and 2016. He also achieved a third place in 2012 behind fellow Olympians Bradley Wiggins and Jessica Ennis.
In case you didn't know...
He is also quite often maligned for being dull, particularly in press conferences. However, he has often shown his dry sense of humour and dry wit.
In 2006, he commented that he would support "anyone but England" at the World Cup. This was described as an example of his rudeness and inability to manage the media.
Despite this, major titles and Olympic golds have followed, as he has become an increasingly popular champion.
The two-time Olympic champion has also been very outspoken about the representation in of women in sport.
He has, for a long time, argued for equal pay in his sport. At Wimbledon, women now earn equal prize money as men as a result of pressure from the likes of Andy Murray.
Female tennis star Serena Williams, told ESPN show 'The Six': "I do not think there is a woman player who is not totally supportive of Andy Murray". Amelie Mauresmo was also hired by Murray as his coach, a move unheard of in the men's game.
In 2015, he asked why Katarina Johnson-Thompson's pentathlon success was not a leading story on the BBC website.
What's next?
The President will likely make further tweets, but for the near future, it is important to be grateful that characters, such as Murray, still exist in sport. The tennis star also must continue his honesty which will only make him more appealing to the general public.
Author's take
It is exciting to see famous personalities, and specifically, sporting ones joke about the ridiculousness of the current US government.
Moreover, outspoken characters in sport are a dying breed after extensive media training and punishments for speaking out of turn.
It is also important that those giving a platform are able to campaign for their beliefs. For example, Murray's championing of female sport can only have a positive outcome.