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Andy Murray

Bedford Roughyed

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Bedford Roughyed

Bedford Roughyed

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Looks like he will retire at Wimbledon after failing to overcome his hip issues.  

He has been a great sportsman over the years, unfairly criticised for being dour.  Got as much out of his potential as he could.  

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

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distantdog

distantdog

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Very sad but inevitable it seems. I liked him both as a tennis player and how he came across. He seemed to have a media persona as a dour individual but many others often said he had a great sense of humour and personality. 

I think when he goes, those of us who like tennis will miss having a British player regularly at the business end of Grand Slams. We perhaps under estimated how impressive his achievements were, or rather took those achievements for granted. 

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Just Browny

Just Browny

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He isn't chirpy in a jolly hockeysticks Wimbledon-Doctor Who-BBC Breakfast sort of way, but he has always been grounded and shown a sense of humour and perspective. Far more importantly, he has been a superb player, backed it up by actually winning major tournaments, and seems to have gone far beyond people's expectations when he first broke through.

I can confirm 30+ less sales for Scotland vs Italy at Workington, after this afternoons test purchase for the Tonga match, £7.50 is extremely reasonable, however a £2.50 'delivery' fee for a walk in purchase is beyond taking the mickey, good luck with that, it's cheaper on the telly.

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Saintslass

Saintslass

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6 hours ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

Looks like he will retire at Wimbledon after failing to overcome his hip issues.  

He has been a great sportsman over the years, unfairly criticised for being dour.  Got as much out of his potential as he could.  

Has he been criticised for coming across as dour?  I'm not sure.  He clearly does come across as dour - an observation, not a criticism! - but his dry wit also comes across.  I think though that the difficulties for him came early on when he made his Scottish nationalism very clear but at the same time wanted the support of the rest of the Union when he competed.  He got off to a bad start there I think.  

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Futtocks

Futtocks

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6 minutes ago, Wiltshire Rhino said:

Three Grand Slams and two Olympic Golds in the era of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic ain't too shabby. 

Fair play to him! 

A fine career and I hope he gets his hip sorted for whatever awaits him in life after Tennis.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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JohnM

JohnM

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Don't know much about tennis history but surely he must be the best ever British tennis player. 

He faces the same inevitable and unavoidable problem that many face: when to call it a day.  Time is right, so we can remember him at his best.

 

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Moose

Moose

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41 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Don't know much about tennis history but surely he must be the best ever British tennis player. 

He faces the same inevitable and unavoidable problem that many face: when to call it a day.  Time is right, so we can remember him at his best.

 

Fred Perry, winner of 8 grand slams including 3 consecutive Wimbledon’s must be up there.

 

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Just Browny

Just Browny

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4 minutes ago, Shadow said:

Not in the age of TV so his achievements mean nothing.

Bit of an old man's comment. ?

Not sure Fred Perry's achievements would be forgotten in any appraisal of the greatest British players. It is difficult to compare eras, but probably fair to say that in his day there wasn't the depth of talent and coaching as there is today.

I can confirm 30+ less sales for Scotland vs Italy at Workington, after this afternoons test purchase for the Tonga match, £7.50 is extremely reasonable, however a £2.50 'delivery' fee for a walk in purchase is beyond taking the mickey, good luck with that, it's cheaper on the telly.

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JohnM

JohnM

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21 minutes ago, Moose said:

Fred Perry, winner of 8 grand slams including 3 consecutive Wimbledon’s must be up there.

 

Before my time, im afraid. Wikipedia has this to say:

"due to his disillusionment with the class-conscious nature of the Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain, the working-class Perry turned professional at the end of the 1936 season and moved to the United States where he became a naturalised US citizen in 1938. In 1942, he was drafted into the US Army Air Force during the Second World War.

Despite his unprecedented contribution to British tennis, Perry was not accorded full recognition by tennis authorities until later in life because between 1927 and 1967, the International Lawn Tennis Federation, ignored amateur champions who later turned professional.[4][7] In 1984, a statue of Perry was unveiled at Wimbledon, and in the same year he became the only tennis player listed in a survey of 2,000 Britons to find the "Best of the Best" British sportsmen of the 20th century.[7]

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Shadow

Shadow

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32 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

Bit of an old man's comment. ?

 

There's a rather depressing reason for that.

30 minutes ago, Johnoco said:

Not that I know enough about tennis to argue really but wasn't it a case that the opposition wasn't quite as intense as it is today?

I think he only had to beat Bunny Jenkins and Lord Blenkinsop Jr to win Wimbledon.

I too know very little about tennis  but as in most sports  you can only play the opposition in front of you.
Whether Fred Perry / Rocky Mariano / Jesse Owens / Prince Obolensky would have been as good or better in a modern environment is a different discussion. 

Fred Perry won 8 Grand Slams, 2 Pro Slams and 6 Doubles Grand Slams. 

Andy Murray has won 3 Grand Slams and 2 Olympic titles.

On that basis I'd say Fred Perry is the more successful player.

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DavidM

DavidM

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5 minutes ago, Shadow said:

There's a rather depressing reason for that.

I too know very little about tennis  but as in most sports  you can only play the opposition in front of you.
Whether Fred Perry / Rocky Mariano / Jesse Owens / Prince Obolensky would have been as good or better in a modern environment is a different discussion. 

Fred Perry won 8 Grand Slams, 2 Pro Slams and 6 Doubles Grand Slams. 

Andy Murray has won 3 Grand Slams and 2 Olympic titles.

On that basis I'd say Fred Perry is the more successful player.

And knocked out polo shirts in his spare time 

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tim2

tim2

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1 hour ago, Moose said:

Fred Perry, winner of 8 grand slams including 3 consecutive Wimbledon’s must be up there.

 

 

47 minutes ago, Shadow said:

 

Fred Perry won 8 Grand Slams, 2 Pro Slams and 6 Doubles Grand Slams. 

Andy Murray has won 3 Grand Slams and 2 Olympic titles.

On that basis I'd say Fred Perry is the more successful player.

I think they have to be regarded separately and not compared.  Being successful in an era where only amateurs with independent wealth could play in the slams, wooden rackets, playing in trousers and only grass courts is so different to today that it's almost a different sport.

Going out at the top and on your own terms is definitely preferable to being forced to finish your career in what will inevitably be a defeat. Alistair Cook was both lucky and showed good judgment in being able to not only dictate the end but still had the ability to do it in success. Not all pro sportsmen/women get that chance.

As for the "criticisms" - dourness? Who cares - he was a winner. Scottish nationalist - why not? Since GB was the only option of course he played for GB and gave more than they deserved at times, given how the LTA didn;t really support him in his early career. 

I hope that trying to overcome this injury hasn't given him long term health problems and that he can get involved in British Tennis and try to influence it from a position of actually knowing what it takes to get to the top.

"I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel"

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graveyard johnny

graveyard johnny

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1 hour ago, Shadow said:

There's a rather depressing reason for that.

I too know very little about tennis  but as in most sports  you can only play the opposition in front of you.
Whether Fred Perry / Rocky Mariano / Jesse Owens / Prince Obolensky would have been as good or better in a modern environment is a different discussion. 

Fred Perry won 8 Grand Slams, 2 Pro Slams and 6 Doubles Grand Slams. 

Andy Murray has won 3 Grand Slams and 2 Olympic titles.

On that basis I'd say Fred Perry is the more successful player.

and you could have a fag and a pint between sets 

see you later undertaker - in a while necrophile 

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gingerjon

gingerjon

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3 hours ago, Wiltshire Rhino said:

Three Grand Slams and two Olympic Golds in the era of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic ain't too shabby. 

Fair play to him! 

And dragging Great Britain to a Davis Cup title.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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Moose

Moose

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2 hours ago, DavidM said:

They were the sporting days when you had a fag and a pint while you were competing 

Those sporting days are still with us. Unfortunately my team Hunslet are still slavishly following this training regime with the added nutritional benefits of a fish and chips supper.?

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Bleep1673

Bleep1673

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Andy Murray has been a great exponent of his sport for his country (GB), and as such, if he retires after the Australian Open, he should be lauded by the media, he could've/Should've retired in 2018, but didn't. That's his dedication to his dollar/sport. In the last 50 years he has won more titles than any other British player, most of whom were OBE/MBE/CBE, huge commentary contract etc., etc.

The fact he comes from Dunblane, in Scotland, means more to the tennis world than if he had grown up in Oxford (Tim Henman), or Paignton, Devon (Sue Barker) it means anyone with ability can become a champion

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