Murray: I can learn from other athletes
Originally published on: 21/06/12 00:00
It was no surprise to see Andy Murray at the All England Club on Thursday.
You would expect as much in advance of the Championships, but 2012 is no ordinary year for the World No. 4 and today he was talking about his selection to Team GB for the Men’s singles event for the tennis competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Sitting alongside Paul Hutchins, Tennis GB team leader, and Andy Hunt, Team GB Chef de Mission, in his adidas Team GB tracksuit, we were reminded of what a busy few weeks he has in store. The cameras clicked away as he spoke of his disappointing experience in Beijing, in 2008, when he lost in the first round to Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu.
Despite the loss, Murray admitted he relished the experience of Beijing.
“[It was] one of the best sporting experiences I have ever had,” he said. “Being part of the team, being around so many great athletes, not something that tennis players are used to. I really enjoyed that part of it.”
Murray lives only 15 minutes away from the All England Club but was asked whether he will stay in the Olympic Village as he did four years ago, when he shared a house with brother Jamie.
“I did it in Beijing and really enjoyed it,” he said. “I’d like to stay in the village. This year I will do what’s best for the preparation. It depends how long it will take to get from the village to Wimbledon. I think a lot of the players are in the same position.
“Staying in the village was good fun last time and I would like to if it is possible.”
A sports fan through and through, Murray also talked about how other athletes inspire him.
“You can learn from all sorts of athletes. I’ve learned from boxers from the way they train, how disciplined they are with their eating and how structured their training methods are. I also get inspired by seeing other athletes – for me watching Usain Bolt at the last Olympic Games was incredible.
“Sport is pretty much my life. I watch all sports, I played loads of sports when I was young, it’s really the only thing I really enjoy. Definitely I learn things from athletes in different sports.”
The nation will no doubt give the man a big roar, and when he teams up with brother Jamie, as expected for the men’s doubles, the atmosphere should be electric. The ITF will announce the wildcards on June 28 and the British Olympic Association will make any announcements about further athletes selected for Team GB tennis after that.
There are now just 36 days to go before the Olympic Games begins and 248 athletes across 23 sports have now been selected for Team GB (the target is 550 athletes across 26 sports and 39 disciplines).
But today, all eyes were on Andy Murray – as much of an inspiration to other Team GB athletes as they are to him.
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