The truly remarkable story of Andy Murray & Wimbledon, in his own words

 

From his memorable debut in 2005 to his painful exit from the quarter-finals to Sam Querrey, Andy Murray has been a central figure in the annual drama that unfolds at the All England Club.

 

Here we detail the key moments in his Wimbledon career and exactly what he thought at the time. An extraordinary journey…

 

Recalling his first match at Wimbledon in the boys’ singles in 2002, when he was 15
“I was actually very excited, but after the match I couldn’t remember one point I’d played, I was so nervous. I didn’t think what I was doing on court at all.”

 

 

At 17 on his future hopes
“I’d love to be doing what Tim Henman’s done, staying in the top 10 for such a long time. Making three or four semi-finals of Wimbledon would be great.”

 

After a junior match at Wimbledon in 2004
“It’s great that I’ve been getting so much support the last couple of days. Hopefully it will continue for the rest of the tournament. But if they’re doing this while I’m playing in the juniors, then it’s going to be even better in the seniors.”

 

On the hype surrounding him after his first main-draw victory at Wimbledon over George Bastl in 2005
“Everybody’s making it out as if I’ve pretty much won Wimbledon. I think it’s a little bit over the top.”

 

On being referred to as the great new hope of British tennis
“Well, I think I am. I think there’s a lot of good players in Britain now from the younger ones that are doing not bad, but obviously my results have been the best out of the lot of them, so everybody’s going to say that I am the new hope. I just have to do what I’m doing on the court. It doesn’t really bother me.”

 

After bridging a gap of 299 places in the rankings in 2005 to beat Radek Stepanek, the world No 13
“He was trying to put me off. He was like staring in my face when I missed the ball… Everybody told me before the match that he would try a bit of gamesmanship and he ended up looking a bit stupid because he lost…. I don’t like him.”

 

 

After suffering with cramp and fatigue as he let slip a two-set lead against David Nalbandian on his Centre Court debut in 2005
“I just got tired because I’d never played a five-set match before… To play on Centre Court has always been a dream. And when it comes true, and I went out and played like that, it was unbelievable… I think my life will change quite a lot after this week. I think maybe it deserves to a little bit because I did very well and it’s not like every 18-year-old playing their first Grand Slam gets to the third round and then takes an ex-finalist of the tournament to five sets.”

 

 

After losing in the mixed doubles with Shahar Peer in 2005
“I was rubbish. The first set, I never played mixed before, so I didn’t know what to do. I was scared about hitting it to the girl.”

 

After losing to Marcos Baghdatis in the fourth round in 2006
“I don’t want to be the only [British] player getting into the second week. I’d much rather it was two, three other players doing that. I’m hoping that’s going to happen in the next five or six years.”

 

 

On his withdrawal from Wimbledon in 2007 because of a wrist injury
“I had the option of having a cortisone injection in my wrist and I didn’t want to take it because I just think in the long run, it was the better decision for me… I have a long career ahead of me. Even if I do get the injection, they can wear off after a little while. I might be doing myself extra damage… The rest of my career is most important.”

 

After coming back from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet in 2008

“The crowd were awesome. They got behind me more than ever before. You’re obviously tired at the end of the match, but it almost takes your mind off your physical state when you’ve got so many people behind you. They clearly made a big difference at the end.”

 

On flexing his biceps after beating Gasquet

“I was doing it to my fitness trainers. I’ve been putting in so much work off the court that it was the first time this year I’ve really had the chance to show it… I just wanted to show that there are some muscles there.”

 

 

On being described in 2009 as boring and having a monotonous voice

“I don’t really care, to be honest. I’ve said I don’t think my voice is particularly interesting, but I don’t need it to be. I let my tennis do the talking.”

 

On how he would cope with his semi-final defeat to Andy Roddick in 2009
“I’ll move on very, very quickly and go and work on my game and improve and come back stronger. It’s a pathetic attitude to have if you lose one match and you go away and let it ruin your year.”

 

 

On meeting the Queen after beating Jarkko Nieminen in 2010
“It was just a quick few-minutes chat. I’m sure she’s very busy.”

 

 

On Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard said “sorry” for beating him in the 2010 semi-finals

“I love the guy. As a player I think he is the best thing that has ever happened to tennis. I play so much tennis, but he’s the only guy I love to watch. I have a lot of respect for him as well. Whenever I have won against him, that’s the first thing I say to him as well.”

 

On his choice of car (in 2013)

“I sold the Aston Martin and changed the Range Rover for a Porsche Cayenne. My girlfriend drives that, so I drive a Volkswagen Polo, which is my first car. I had it when I passed my test at 21 and I don’t think many people look at who is in it. It’s done about 30,000 miles now and might need changing. I drove it to Wimbledon last year and it’s still the car I drive most.”

 

 

On why he watched the film ‘Scream’ before one of his Wimbledon matches in 2011

“I wasn’t watching it to relax. You normally pick the one thing that will stop you thinking about tennis. ‘Scream’ did a pretty good job of that.”

 

On his mother’s comments about “Deliciano” Lopez, his quarter-final opponent in 2011 

“It’s about time she stopped with that nonsense. Makes me want to throw up. It’s disgusting.”

 

 

On whether his mother had been embarrassed by the publicity about Lopez

“I was embarrassed by it. If you fancy not putting it in the papers tomorrow, I’d appreciate that.”

 

On cries from the crowd of “Come on Tim” in 2011

“We were talking about it before my first match and asking how long it would be before the first ‘Come on Tim.’ I said within the first game. It came four minutes in.”

 

On meeting Prince William and Kate Middleton after beating Gasquet in 2011

“If I’d known they were coming, I would have shaved. I was thinking to myself as I came off I was sweaty and very hairy. I said to them: ‘I’m sorry, I’m a bit sweaty’.”

 

 

Looking ahead to Wimbledon in 2012 after the seriousness of his back problems had been called into question
“If someone is going to say to me that my back injury is not genuine, they can come see my reports from the doctors, they can see the pictures of a needle about eight inches long in my back. I’m not accepting it any more because it’s not fair.”

 

Talking about Centre Court in 2012

“I spent some time here during the year sitting on the court when there was no one else there, just thinking what it was like. It’s become more and more special to me the more years I’ve played.  I’ve started to understand how important it is to tennis.”

 

On public reaction to his defeat by Roger Federer in the 2012 final

“It was different to what I’d experienced before, the support, from friends, family, just people I bump into in the street, politicians, celebrities.  It was overwhelming. I’m not used to that.  I understand that sometimes in the past it wasn’t always that easy to get behind me because on the court I didn’t look particularly happy. But during Wimbledon and the build-up I just felt different on the court.  I felt like I’d grown up a bit.  I felt more mature.  I felt like my demeanour was better. The support I got after the final made a huge difference to me, to my confidence.”

 

 

On the 2012 Olympic event at Wimbledon

“In terms of just enjoyment, it’s probably the most fun I’ve had at a tennis tournament. It’s been great fun just because everybody’s so together.”

 

Reflecting one year later on winning Olympic gold in 2012

“It was probably one of the proudest moments of my career.  I don’t know if I’ll ever top that.”

 

 

On what he thought Fred Perry, the last British the men’s singles champion, might have said to him en route to his 2013 title triumph

“Why are you not wearing my kit?”

 

On what he would do to stay focused and calm going into the 2013 Wimbledon final, his opponent, Novak Djokovic, having said that he meditated at a Buddhist temple

“I don’t do that.  I watch TV – comedy TV I would say.  But I don’t go to a temple.”

 

On the end of his 2013 final against Djokovic, who saved three match points in a dramatic final game

“It’s the hardest few points I’ve had to play in my life. Winning Wimbledon, I still can’t believe it.  I can’t get my head around that.”

 

 

On Ivan Lendl’s contribution to his success

“He believed in me when a lot of people didn’t.  He stuck by me through some tough losses in the last couple of years.  He’s been very patient with me.  I’m just happy I managed to do it for him.”

 

On being the standard-bearer of British tennis

“For the last four or five years, it’s been very, very tough, very stressful, a lot of pressure.”

 

On Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, unfurling a Scottish flag in the Royal Box after Murray’s victory in the 2013 final
“I don’t like it when politicians turn sporting events into political things.”

 

 

On whether he could bring cheer to British sports fans following the England football team’s exit from the 2014 World Cup

“I’m here to do my thing.  I don’t think that the English football team get asked about me in their press conferences.  So I’d appreciate it if that wasn’t brought up when I was playing because I’m yet to hear Wayne Rooney talk about my matches at Wimbledon.  I don’t think it’s fair.”

 

On meeting Ricky Gervais for the first time at Wimbledon in 2014
“I’m a huge fan of ‘The Office’.  When I went over to Spain when I was 15, I watched an episode of ‘The Office’ almost every single night I was there.  I could almost remember it word for word when I was over there training.”

 

On the prospect of Henman Hill being renamed
“Tim can have it. That’s fine. It’s not that important to me.”

 

After winning his second Wimbledon title in 2016
“I feel happier this time. I feel more content. I feel like this was more for myself more than anything and my team as well. We’ve all worked really hard to help get me in this position. Last time it was just pure relief, and I didn’t really enjoy the moment as much, whereas I’m going to make sure I enjoy this one more.”

 

 

On his changing game (in 2016)

“I feel like I’m able to play a more offensive game style now in pressure situations than maybe I did when I was younger because I was so worried about the outcome or thinking about winning the match. I think now I’m able to play each point a lot better, and therefore my game’s maybe a little more exciting. I’m going for more shots and trying different shots.”

 

On losing to Sam Querrey in the 2017 quarter-finals after struggling with a hip injury

“I was pretty close today. It wasn’t like I was a million miles away from winning the match. Obviously the end was a bit of a struggle, but I almost found a way to get into the semis.”

 

On the All England Club

“I like spending time there. It’s nice and quiet during the year. I sometimes get on the clay a little bit, use the gym. I’m very familiar with the surroundings. Maybe for some of the players, each time they get back there it feels extra special. I spend so much time there during the year that it just feels more comfortable more than anything.”

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