A Wimbledon worry from Murray
by John Cushing, July 2023
I’ll say it again and again Sir Andy Murray is the greatest British sportsperson for the past 10 years. The fact he’s come back to being able to mix it with the best at Wimbledon after that metal hip surgery is even more remarkable. My esteemed ABF co-presenter Michael often says he will have so much to give when he finally stops playing tennis, like Dame Katherine Grainger currently chair of UK Sport. Greats who can make a difference away from their sporting discipline.
So it’s been an honour to cover Sir Andy again this first week at Wimbledon for Radio News Hub. But to see him so gutted after his 5 set Tsitsipas defeat, after 4 and a half hours over two days, even surprised me. But I’m also in awe as he spoke so eloquently about a number of key issues from his match, and this tournament. He said many things, you’ll see the headlines this weekend, “it was under the umpires nose, she shouldn’t miss it” on the crucial ‘out’ that was ‘in’ in the 4th set. The fact he doesn’t know if he’ll be back next year. Will he be good enough or have the motivation?
But the main thing that stood out for me was when he was asked whether a 1.30pm start for the main show courts at Wimbledon is early enough? He was obviously in the ascendancy on Thursday night ‘indoors’ and the next day was always going to be different conditions ‘outdoors’. Djokovic’s match nearly went the same way on Friday night especially as SW19 has an 11pm curfew. Murray says he knows organisers, the All England Club, have a number of things to weigh up, and it’s not just about the players. Not for the players? Aren’t they the most important part of a Grand Slam tennis tournament, arguably the greatest? And what it really drilled home to me, Wimbledon isn’t really about the players. Ultimately it’s a private members club with an unbelievable historical competition. You may think it’s a tennis tournament for us all, but as Murray said when asked about the start time, there are so many other people to consider when making the decision inc hospitality. Roy Keane famously described them as the prawn sandwich brigade at Old Trafford. Who wants a champagne fuelled posh nosh in the members and royal box before midday? And if you started earlier than 1pm, that’s what you’d need. Along with the Chelsea flower show, the Derby, Henley regatta, Wimbledon has always and will continue to be part of the ‘London season’. But it’s 2023, not 1903, and with sport meaning so much more to people, and generating much more income than ever before, maybe it is time to put the players ahead of the prawn platters? (No sandwiches here!) It’s either a world class sporting event, or it’s a jolly old jamboree!
Andy Murray has done so much for a British tennis, he’s come up through the ranks and broken the mould of who can be a star. Exactly 10 years on from lifting that famous Wimbledon trophy, maybe it’s time we should all listen to him, and his views on the future of the sport he, and I, still love.
