British tennis star Andy Murray has been in the news for taking a stand for himself. The 3-time Grand Slam winner (two Wimbledon) and 2-time Olympic champion hasn’t been in the best of form of late. This became the point of distasteful criticism for a BBC journalist, which the tennis giant rebuked. He clapped back at the journalist and found vehement support from fellow tennis player Andy Roddick. This wasn’t the first time Roddick wholeheartedly supported Murray.
To give some more context, Andy Murray, age 36, has been going through a lean patch in his career and has remained winless in 2024. He suffered three early defeats at the Australian Open, Open Sud de France, and the ATP 250 tournament in Montpellier. This led the BBC journalist to suggest Murray, albeit in an unflattering and rude manner, to retire and not tarnish his legacy. Murray gave a strong reply to him over on X.
Accepting his current slump in form, Murray promises to make a strong comeback and reveals he is nowhere near retirement. His good pal Andy Roddick also came out in support and bashed the journalist for being disrespectful and a “dumb, thirsty article.”
Tarnishing my legacy? Do me a favour. I’m in a terrible moment right now I’ll give you that. Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I’m not most people and my mind works differently. I won’t quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce the… https://t.co/nF0var6IfL
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 30, 2024
Preach! Imagine telling an accomplished iconic adult your opinion on what they should choose for work and when they should do it …. This is such a dumb, thirsty article. Can’t take a legacy away. Accomplishment lives forever
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) January 30, 2024
Yup. And I’m allowed to think hehe reporter is wrong. I also value my tennis opinion more. The stats say that’s hes been better at other points in his career. Andy would tell you the same. He’s top 50 in the world and qualifying for direct entry into these tournaments. Why the…
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) January 30, 2024
With everything that’s going on with Murray, it’s worth noting that this wasn’t the first time Roddick came out in his support. The former World No. 1 from America lauded Murray when he donated his prize money to those war-affected in Ukraine. In 2022, when Murray announced his philanthropic initiative, Roddick couldn’t have been prouder.
I’m going to be donating my earnings from my prize money for the rest of the year, but anyone in the UK can support UNICEF’s humanitarian response by donating to our appeal by following this link – https://t.co/Z2mNGQ3xh8
Children in Ukraine need peace – now.
3/3
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) March 8, 2022
Over 7.5m children are at risk with the escalating conflict in Ukraine, so I’m working with @UNICEF_uk to help provide urgent medical supplies and early childhood development kits. 1/3
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) March 8, 2022
Andy Roddick responded to the news by lauding heaps of praise on him.
“This guy just consistently gets it. Like every time,” wrote Roddick on X.
Andy Roddick has always been a strong supporter of Andy Murray
To further stretch the Andy Roddick-Andy Murray friendship and bond, the American tennis star praised Murray back in 2019, albeit in a humorous way. Ahead of the Australian Open that year, an emotional Murray announced his retirement. Hearing this news, the tennis world, including Roddick, paid tribute to him.
Roddick called Murray an “Absolute Legend” and that he wishes for a “healthy” and “strong” retirement for him. Murray was struggling for a long time then with his hip injury and needed surgery.
What followed for Murray was almost miraculous. The tennis star marked his return to the sport, coming out of retirement, emphatically. He won the doubles championship at the Queen’s Club by beating Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the finals. This was his first title in two years. He followed it up with the European Cup win by beating Stan Wawrinka in the finals. He also remains one of the few players to defeat the Big Three and Carlos Alcaraz.
If Andy Murray could come back from hip surgery and win back-to-back championships, he can surely make a comeback at the age of 36 now.
