In 50 years time will Andy Murray be looked upon as a legendary British sporting figure?

[Lenny Rider]

Watched him on the BBC win Queens for the record 5th time yesterday, and whilst he gets all the 'Scottish' abuse from time to time, he is actually very good at what he does.

Hopefully time will erase the negativity and in 2066 he will be as respected as Fred Perry is today.

 

[spring hall convert]

Well he's won grand slams, the Davis Cup and an Olympic gold medal, at a time when men's tennis has been incredible strong.

Pretty legendary in my book.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

My favourite current British sportsman without a doubt. His work ethic and fitness are superb. At 29 and 2nd best player in the world, he is still trying to improve. He even manages to break a smile on camera these days.

 

[Mr Banana]

Watched him on the BBC win Queens for the record 5th time yesterday, and whilst he gets all the 'Scottish' abuse from time to time, he is actually very good at what he does.

He's ok. Wimbledon and the US Open were decent wins. Queens really drives it home, though.

 

[Aaron31]

He's a great tennis player. People slag him off saying he's grumpy etc, but actually he's just not too keen on all the media attention and just wants to focus on playing his sport. Off camera he sounds like a really good guy. I'm sure he will be remembered as one of the greats.

 

[The Sock of Poskett]

He should certainly be seen as a legend - the man has achieved incredible things and his record will surely show him to be Britain's greatest tennis player bar none by the time he retires. Great though Perry was, not sure you can compare that era's tennis to today's.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I don't think we tend to put sportsmen and sportswomen on quite the same kind of pedestal as we used to. The grainy old image heroes of yesteryear always seem to carry more weight somehow. Will Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton, say, be revered in quite the same way as Fred Perry or Stirling Moss? Probably not. If England were somehow to win the next World Cup, would they assume the same legendary status as the 1966 team? I'd suggest they wouldn't.

 

[brightn'ove]

Unless we get a British tennis player of a similar ability within the next 50 years, without a doubt.

 

[Alba Badger]

The guys a Leg End,

 

[Marshy]

hes already a Legend in my book. A simply incredible player in a time when Tennis is ridiculously strong.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

For all his flaws, both in his personality and (to an extent) in his tennis game, particularly with his second serve, he's still achieved things which no other British player has in decades. He should probably have achieved more, and in another era he most definitely would have, but his achievements are incredible nonetheless.

So it's a resounding "yes" from me.

 

[Hillian1]

I do give him a bit of stick on here, but it has to be said that if Djoko hadn't been around he'd be on a shit load more than 2 Grand Slam wins already.

 

[Gazwag]

Murray today IMO is a much better player than Perry was in his day

 

[Mo Gosfield]

I don't think we tend to put sportsmen and sportswomen on quite the same kind of pedestal as we used to. The grainy old image heroes of yesteryear always seem to carry more weight somehow. Will Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton, say, be revered in quite the same way as Fred Perry or Stirling Moss? Probably not. If England were somehow to win the next World Cup, would they assume the same legendary status as the 1966 team? I'd suggest they wouldn't.

There just wasn't the media coverage in those days, so a lot of people used to rely on newspapers, radio or even Pathe News. A sort of mystique used to grow about sportsmen and women and there was a clamour to see them live. When the Australian cricket side ( with Bradman ) came over, every ground was packed to the rafters. It was like a royal tour. Bradman was revered like a god. I used to listen to big fights on my portable radio and imagine what was going on. There was very little live sport shown on tv, compared with today.
I think you are possibly right about players of yesteryear. They did become legendary because they were less accessible. People talked and read about them and some achievements were embellished beyond actual.
The next two to three years will show what Murray can actually achieve. At the moment he has lost 8 out of 10 Slam Finals, which on paper doesn't look great but they have always been to another legend.i.e Djokavic, Nadal or Federer. He may end up winning all four ( he's getting closer all the time ) Throw in the Davis Cup and Olympics and he would be in pretty rarified company and worthy of legendary status for decades and decades.

 

[joeinbrighton]

Of course. It's a no-brainer.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Not that it matters much to him, but just to throw it into the mix ... before yesterday, his career prize winnings was over $46m, and if you add approximately 2-3 times that in sponsorship, I'd say the lad from Dunblane has done pretty well for himself.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I agree with the majority of posters here - he will become a British sporting legend.

I'm interested to see what effect his success has on the production line of young British tennis players. Swedish tennis was nowhere before Bjorn Borg, yet his success spawned a wonderful crop of players like Edberg, Wilander, Jarryd, Pernfors.

However, I think Murray will be actively involved in coaching after he retires from the circuit. I just hope the LTA doesn't mess things up.

 

[gregbrighton]

Yes, a legend but it isn't as though there is a shortage of British champions in a number of sports in the last five years. The depth now, compared to the past, is almost an embarrassment of riches. It's great to see.

 

[ManOfSussex]

He's a legend. The only blot on his copy book is the conversion rate of grand slam finals reached to titles won. Wimbledon, US Open, Olympics, David Cup and finals of Australian and French is legendary though.

 

[spring hall convert]

I just hope the LTA doesn't mess things up.

Don't worry, they will.

Another feather in Murray's cap is achieving what he has in spite of rather than because of the LTA.