2016 in review: Andy Murray

The best of times

Ain’t that the truth. The ATP’s new world No.1 hasn’t become top dog by chance – it’s the culmination of a stellar season that saw the Scot claim nine titles, including a second Wimbledon crown and a historic second Olympic singles gold medal, and reach the finals of the Australian and French Opens. What’s more, the 29-year-old also carried Great Britain’s flag into the Opening Ceremony at the Olympic Games in Rio, watched his brother Jamie win his first Grand Slam doubles title in Melbourne, and became a father – a moment no triumph on a tennis court could surpass.

If we are to stick with on-court achievements, however, Murray’s third Grand Slam triumph at the All England Club was surely the high point of the season for the man himself – as it was the first Grand Slam triumph he actually enjoyed. When he won the 2012 US Open his initial reaction was shock, while his 2013 Wimbledon victory was so tied up in Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s champion that the overriding emotion was relief. This year, installed as the favourite in a Grand Slam final for the first time against Milos Raonic, Murray revelled in the role – and it showed.

The worst of times

On-court tribulations and off-court drama collided for Murray at the Australian Open in January. Before hitting a ball in anger, the No.2 seed had made it clear that he was prepared to drop everything and jump on a plane back to London should wife Kim, then eight months pregnant, go into labour. But nobody could predict how he would react when, during his fourth-round match on Margaret Court Arena, Kim’s father Nigel Sears collapsed in the stands on Rod Laver Arena. Sears, then coaching Ana Ivanovic, was rushed to hospital, followed by Murray once told of the news after his win.

Despite the emotional weight of it all, Murray battled through to a fifth Australian Open final, losing once more to Novak Djokovic. Tearing up in the post-match interviews, he paid tribute to his wife: “I’m sure she is going to watching at home. She’s been a legend over the last two weeks,” Murray said. “So thanks for the support and I’ll be on the next flight home.”

Match of the year

Honourable mentions go to his four-hour victory over Juan Martin del Potro to claim gold in Rio – making him the first player in history to win two singles gold medals – and the final instalment of his simmering rivalry with Raonic at the ATP World Tour Finals, edging out the Canadian in three hours, 38 minutes. But in terms of performance and nerve, the Scot’s semi-final victory over defending Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka underlined just how far Murray has come in rounding out his game for all surfaces.

He had proven his clay-court game was truly elite with wins over Rafael Nadal in the Madrid Masters semi-finals and Novak Djokovic to claim the Rome Masters title, but his effervescent display during the 6-4 6-2 4-6 6-2 win over Wawrinka made Murray just the 10th player in the Open era to reach all four Grand Slam finals – a feat many had long considered beyond him, including the man himself.

Quote of the year

“I don’t mind failing. Failing’s okay, providing that you’ve given your best and put everything into it. Obviously a lot of questions would get asked of me after those losses. But failing’s not terrible; I put myself in a position all of the time in these events to win them. I haven’t won them all of the time. I’ve lost a lot of close ones against great players most of the time. That’s it. I just have, kind of, not being afraid of failing, sort of learning from all of my losses. That’s what I’ve done throughout most of my career.”
– After beating Milos Raonic to win Wimbledon, his third Grand Slam triumph from 11 finals.

Tweet of the year

Having not tweeted since June, it’s slim pickings…

Anyone know what channel/time sherlock is on in Australia tonight!?

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 2, 2016

But he did retweet this moment of magic from Monte-Carlo doubles partner Dom Inglot:

@dominglot so pumped right now. Great win guys @andy_murray @LeonSmith #MonteCarlo pic.twitter.com/63VusWiAJw

— Hoy Brown (@HoyBrown) April 11, 2016