TO SAY that ANDY MURRAY is fiercely competitive is an understatement.
Put it this way — he would take a game of dominoes with his gran as seriously as a Grand Slam tennis final against RAFA NADAL
meeting the world’s third best tennis player that he has an unmistakable presence — steely determination, ice-cool composure and a burning desire to be the best at everything he does.
All of which I found out at my own expense when he humiliated me in a humbling two-game tennis match on a computer game console at BBC Television Centre in west London this week.
The 6ft 3in Scot was on the receiving end of a brutal character assassination during footie’s World Cup in 2006 for joking about “supporting anyone but England”.
And he still finds the idea of interviews uncomfortable, judging by the way he showed no mercy for a fellow Scot, seven years his senior, who supports the same football team — Hibs — and grew up ten miles along the road from his home town of Dunblane.
Bullets
But the Scotland issue has been blown out of all proportion, as Andy explained during the few hours I spent with him this week.
He said: “I don’t think it would bother me at all if my kids grew up with English accents.
“A lot of my best friends are English and I’ve spent a lot of time here.
“My home is in London now and I love living here.
“I’m sure it would be different if my girlfriend Kim was Scottish — but she is not.”
It’s easy to forget that Andy has only just turned 22.
I watched him filming a new promotional advert for the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage in a studio where he was smashing tennis balls past a camera as if his life depended on it.
The power, ferocity and accuracy he put into each strike had cameramen flinching as the yellow bullets whizzed past their heads.
During the interview I was amazed by how much he ate. I can’t imagine his dietician would have approved of the junk he wolfed down.
In 45 minutes he demolished a huge hamburger, a bag of salt and vinegar crisps, two chocolate bars and an apple.
And as I left, I’m sure he was looking for more grub.
In his defence, he hadn’t eaten all day and he probably burns about 10,000 calories a day with his gruelling fitness regime.
I caught his glance a couple of times during our quick game of Virtua Tennis 2009, which he appears in as a character.
His stare was just how I would imagine it was like to peer into the eyes of a great white shark.
But his eyes lit up when he started talking about a chance encounter with one of his heroes, comedy actor WILL FERRELL.
As he munched his burger, he said: “I met him at the US Open last year and I absolutely love him. I am a huge fan of his so it was pretty weird.
“Will got me into classical music. He sang Time To Say Goodbye in the movie Step Brothers and I just loved it.
“I have started listening to a little bit of classical, which is a bit strange.”
When Andy’s back in south London he never falls out of nightclubs or hangs around with other famous faces.
He’s normally glued to the telly, playing arcade games or out go-karting, playing golf or footie.
He said: “I don’t have many famous numbers in my phone.
“I guess TIM HENMAN is about the only one I am in touch with.
“I don’t really speak to my girlfriend Kim about fame that much.
“She is at university studying English and just leading a normal life. I try not to get into the fame thing so much.”
Andy visited 10 Downing Street recently to promote the Malaria No More campaign he is fronting with DAVID BECKHAM.
And he said it was hard watching GORDON BROWN struggling.
He added: “I just wish he could get a break and be given some time.
“You get the feeling he is being demonised.
“I don’t know that much about politics but as a person he was lovely.
His admiration even overshadows the whopping income tax the young star has had to pay on his estimated £4million career earnings.
Chewing a juicy apple, he said: “My prize money is up there but I pay a lot of tax. It’s not ideal paying 50 per cent.
Lucky
He’s not flash with his cash either.
He always flies economy, only taking business class — not first — when he needs to sleep on a long-haul flight.
Eating another chocolate bar, he said: “I feel like I am lucky but I also feel I have earned it. I appreciate all of that stuff.
“It’s not normal to me. I know that if I work hard I get more opportunities.
“I have had the same friends since I was 15 and moved to Barcelona.
“I’ve had the same girlfriend for four years and I always stay close to my family.
“I don’t think I’ve changed a lot.
“I think it is so nice to have my own place. I lived in a dorm when I was 15 to 17 then I shared a room in Spain.
“After that I spent two years staying in my coach’s attic in Wimbledon.
“I have a nice big TV, a comfy sofa, a Pacman arcade machine with all the old-school games on it, a pool table, PlayStation and dartboard.
“My flat’s quite blokey.”
Andy is also a self-confessed telly addict who can recite every single line from The Office.
One fellow Scot who has caught his attention is the “Hairy Angel” from Britain’s Got Talent — SUSAN BOYLE.
Crumpling up his chocolate bar wrapper, he said: “The show was on the other night but I am away a lot of weekends so I miss it.
“Susan Boyle was obviously great. I haven’t heard her sing anything else yet so it’s difficult to tell if she can do more.
“It is a bit of a shame, though. I think the thing everyone loved about her at the start was that she looked like a normal person.
“The idea of waxing her eyebrows, dyeing her hair and changing her ruins the appeal. The whole thing was that she looked so normal.”
And maybe the fact that Andy is so normal explains his appeal too.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2440694.ece
Thanks.
