The women in Andy Murray's life that helped shape him into a champion

Andy Murray | SNS Group

It was, looking back, the beginning of the end for Andy Murray. At the peak of his powers in 2017, here suddenly was the first intimation of mortality, beaten not so much by his opponent but by injury. 

Bent double in pain and forced to use his racket as a crutch, he resembled a sad, hunched figure from a Lowry painting. It made for an unforgettable - and crushing - image.

But an hour later at that Wimbledon there was what many identify as the first intimation of Andy Murray, feminist.

Post-match, an American journalist posed a question framed round the notable fact - for him at least - that Murray’s conqueror, Sam Querrey, was the first US player to make a Grand Slam semi-final since 2009.

Andy Murray | SNS Group

At that precise moment the Scot could have been forgiven for thinking only of himself - a thousand other sportsmen would certainly have done so. This is, after all, the era of the brilliant egomaniac Cristiano Ronaldo.

Murray was the reigning Wimbledon champion. He’d finished the previous year as world No 1. And yet the shot played at him over the press-conference net was a wonky one, a wrong one. Murray was onto it in a flash.

“The first male player,” he corrected with that trademark glower, mentioning Serena Williams who’d won 12 of her Slams over the period. I was in that room and the embarrassed hack could not have slunk any lower into his chair.

It takes a lot to temporarily put aside your own disappointment, if not devastation, and to be bothered to flag up some accidental amnesia not directly related to yourself. But while that may have been the incident everyone remembers because a clip of Murray’s response went viral, there have been plenty of other occasions when he’s spoken up for women - before and since.

Back in 2014 there was some sneering from the macho locker-rooms of tennis that him hiring a woman as his coach - France’s ex-Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo - had been a calculated move of political correctness. 

Murray chats with Amelie Mauresmo during training in 2015 | SNS Group

Before the match-up with Mauresmo, already rumoured, Murray was asked if he’d consider working with a woman. “Of course, why not?” he replied. “Then I got a message from a coach of one of the top players saying: ‘I love this game you’re playing with the press. You should tell them next you’re considering working with a dog.’ That was when I realised, OK, this is a problem.” 

Murray was coached by Mauresmo for two years. He regrets their partnership didn’t produce a Slam and - ever-alert to the lazy dismissing of women’s achievements in the game - noted those questions implying criticism of her rather than the focus after defeat being himself, the usual way when his coach has been a man.

“Have I become a feminist?” he was asked by French sports paper L’Equipe. “Well, if being a feminist is about fighting so that a woman is treated like a man then, yes, I suppose I have.” In 2016 he was crowned Feminist Campaigner of the Year at the Women’s Sports Trust Awards. Unable to attend, he was represented by a life-size cardboard cut-out - prompting much whooping. 

Murray, you sense, would have made up his own mind about gender equality in sport, or lack of, and spoken up for the sisterhood when required. But he’s never wanted for feminine influence in his life. He has it now with wife Kim and three of their four children being girls. And he had it growing up in Dunblane thanks to mum Judy, a tireless campaigner for women’s sport even then. “I came to tennis thanks to my mother,” he’s said, “and I always had a very close relationship with my grandmothers. I’ve always been surrounded by women.”  

Also in 2016, the golden year, Murray retained his Olympic title. The BBC’s John Inverdale congratulated him for being the first to triumph at tennis at two Games but our man wanted respect paid to Serena’s Olympian feats, also those of sister Venus. “That’s my boy,” tweeted Judy afterwards, with author JK Rowling adding: “As if we needed more reasons to worship Andy Murray he just reminded John Inverdale that women are people, too.”

Judy Murray | SNS Group

He’s been an utterly fearless champion of feminist causes, demanding that the Association of Tennis Professionals institute a new policy on domestic violence following allegations by a former girlfriend of Alexander Zverev that the German subjected her to repeated emotional and physical abuse, claims Zverev denied.

He again called out the BBC for the Corporation’s sport website positioning gold medal success for heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Tompson low down the list of reports. “Why is [the triumph] deadline number 22? Complete joke,” he tweeted. 

Murray rarely missed a trick, or instance of casual sexism. When the chief executive of Indian Wells insisted that women players “ride on the coat-tails of the men”, he hit back: “Crowds are coming to watch the women as well.”

His antenna extended into football when Ada Hegerberg of Norway became the first-ever winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or. At the ceremony she was asked by a DJ if she knew how to twerk. Murray hit out on Instagram: “Another example of the ridiculous sexism that still exists in sport … unreal.”  

Murray wasn’t shy about calling out his Novak Djokovic who suggested male players earned more because they brought more fans, and revenue, to tennis. His great rival later apologised.

Ridiculously, when artwork commissioned by Wimbledon to celebrate the sport’s legends was unveiled, there was no sign of our man. “Where’s Andy Murrray?” demanded brother Jamie, while Judy called the piece “appalling”. Britain’s greatest-ever sportsperson, however, was more concerned about the omission of some women players deserving of celebration. “Me not being there is certainly not a problem,” he remarked.

Tennis, it’s obvious, has lost more than simply a wonderful champion.