THE unbearable heaviness of being Andy Murray can be hard to appreciate when he cavorts on court post-match, punching the air with a power reminiscent of the Thrilla in Manila.
This, though, was the Drama in Dalmarnock and the burden and al the significant blows were inflicted by one fighter. Murray’s weekend in the East End has elements that are emotional, physical and even stray into geopolitics. The Scot quietly pointed out yesterday that he had played three Davis Cup rubbers while suffering from back pain. He was unsure of the cause. This observer believes that it may have been precipitated by carrying the hopes of an entire island.
If Team GB, sorry Andy Murray, wins the Davis Cup in November it will be the greatest one-man performance in a world cup tournament since Diego Maradona won it singlehandedly in Mexico in 1986.
The nature of the Scot’s victory over Bernard Tomic yesterday can be misconstrued. Yes, it was completed in straight sets but the Australian today will move in the top 20 in world tennis. This was no stroll against a no-hoper but a third match in three days under the burden of heavy expectation and in the face of high-class opposition. Murray spent the best part of eight hours on court in the Emirates. This was a physical challenge with the added encumbrance of a bad back.
But there was also the emotional demands which stray into what is called mind games and what can be termed sporting nationalism. The first for Murray is more demanding than the latter. The two-time Grand Slam champion already is expected to beat whoever he plays in the single rubbers of the final and complete the victory with the help of his ever improving big brother in the doubles. He knows this. He admits candidly that he is nervous before Davis Cup matches, though this tension dissipates in the heat of battle. The 28-year-old is a peerless athlete but it was not difficult to describe him as spent as the immediate celebration after his Tomic victory was followed by a slump in the chair with a towel over his head. This was a demanding weekend.
In contrast, his love of playing for his country is simple, uncomplicated. The umbrella of Team GB causes him no angst. He is a Scot, first and foremost, but enthusiastically embraces the geographical and sporting reality of Team GB. There was a preposterous argument during the 2012 Olympics that Team GB’s success had blown a hole in Alex Salmond’s independence case. Curiously, the success of Team Europe in the Ryder Cup has never been viewed as an electoral blow to Eurosceptics.
Incidentally, Team GB could be changed to Team Scotland without any compromising of their chances of winning the Davis Cup. Indeed, if any home tie in the Hydro was made impossible by the advanced booking of Simple Minds, I would advocate giving Jim Kerr the chance to cancel the concert and play second singles for Team GB. The Murrays could handle the rest.
The world No.3 then is enthused by playing for Great Britain and in team sports. He ‘’gets” it. Self-contained and self-sufficient, he embraces the camaraderie of the team and revels in the shared joy it brings. Almost a year ago, he tweeted his support for a Yes vote in the referendum. This was greeted by scandalised outrage in parts of Middle England. Yet Murray would be a strange standard bearer for any sense of anti-Englishness, given he is married to a woman from Sussex and lives in Surrey. He also supported Team GB as fan and player for the best part of 30 years.
Yet the message from a raucous Emirates, bedecked in Union Flags and Caledonian paraphernalia, is that Murray is a Scottish hero of extraordinary proportion. He is thrawn, tough, humble and has a humour that escapes the English with the same facility that a lob bemused Tomic yesterday.
There may be a mild ambivalence that still persists south of the Border over Murray. There may be some minor irritation among some Scots that he plays under the Union flag. But there is no doubt that he is his own man and one who adheres closely to the culture, expectations and ambitions of being a Scot.
Some way from a feverish Dalmarnock, the political mutterings continue to surround the circumstances of what would constitute the triggering of a second referendum. This sports hack would suggest there is an opportunity for the First Minister on November 29th when Murray wins the second singles to win the Davis Cup. And then picks up his phone to tweet: “Let’s do it.”
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