"Each time you lost, there was a backlash" - Andy Murray opens up about the 'negative' treatment he received from British public
Andy Murray recounted his experiences of facing the wrath of British fans over the years in an exclusive interview with CNN earlier today. He described how a loss meant severe backlash from the home faithful and that they almost always demanded perfection.
The 37-year-old Brit is currently in the French capital preparing to take part in the final event of his career at the 2024 Olympic Games. Murray previously withdrew from the singles event and will feature only in doubles action alongside Dan Evans. The pair will lock horns with the Japanese duo of Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori in the opening round on Sunday, July 28.
He was also due to take part in the mixed doubles but was forced to pull out after his partner Emma Raducanu withdrew, citing a sore wrist.
Speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour ahead of the Paris Olympics, Murray discussed a variety of topics including the British public, Novak Djokovic, and the 1996 Dunblane Massacre.
When quizzed by Amanpour about the support he received from the home fans and media, Murray opened up about the 'negative' treatment received from the British public every time he lost. The backlash was severe and for every sportsperson in the country according to him.
"Each time you lost and didn't quite get there it felt like there was a backlash and disappointment for not achieving that goal," Murray was quoted as saying.
"I don't know, I'm not sure exactly why there is a big sort of backlash or negativity around that, and it is definitely there and for sure, the athletes, they feel that,” he continued.
Despite all the flak thrown at him over the years, Murray also paid tribute to the fans and how it was always about playing in a 'brilliant atmosphere.'
"That's the thing I'd definitely miss that a lot when I finish. I think anyone that's playing in professional sport you want to be playing on the biggest courts and in front of... I never minded if the crowd was for or against me, it was just playing in brilliant atmospheres," Murray was quoted as saying.
The 37-year-old announced ahead of the Paris Olympics that it would be the final event of his career. That means that the final singles match of his career was the second-round match against Jordan Thompson at the Queen's Club Championships last month. He was forced to retire from that tie due to a back injury.
It was the same injury that ruled him out of the singles competition at Wimbledon. Murray did, however, play alongside his brother Jamie Murray in the doubles.
"The Olympics has been incredibly special for me" - Andy Murray ahead of the final event of his career
Speaking to the press ahead of the draw, Andy Murray described the Olympic Games as 'special' with the 2012 London Games in particular.
"The Olympics has been incredibly special for me and there have been some amazing memories on the court – particularly in London," Andy Murray was quoted as saying.
He conceded that while he "ran out of time" trying to recover from injuries for the singles competition, he is still raring to go in the doubles.
"I'm happy I get to do this one more time. It's unfortunate [not playing in singles] - I trained to get ready to play both, but I'm getting a bit older now so it gets harder to recover from injuries. I ran out of time," he continued.
Andy Murray is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist. He won the singles event in 2012 and defended hia title in 2016. The Scot also won the mixed doubles silver in London in 2012 alongside Laura Robson.