Andy Murray: My Olympic Memories
Andy Murray has experienced some of his greatest highs – and most crushing lows – at Olympic tennis events. The only player to win two singles gold medals at an Olympic Games after his stunning triumphs at both London 2012 and Rio 2016, he also won mixed doubles silver with Laura Robson in London - falling just a few points short of another gold. With an eye on participating in his fifth Olympic Tennis Event at Paris 2024, he recounts some of his standout moments from Games gone by.
I learnt loads from [the Beijing 2008] Olympics. It was probably one of the biggest learning experiences of my career. I went to the opening ceremony and it was the night before I played my match. I was so excited to be at the Olympics. I’d always wanted to go. I’d come off the back of winning the tournament in Cincinnati so I was ready to have a good tournament.
I got totally swept up in the whole event. I went to the Opening Ceremony and it went on really late. I was sweating bullets. It was really tough conditions and I forgot what I was actually there to do, which was to try and win a medal for my country. I wanted so much to go and watch the other sports, see the other athletes, speak to the other athletes.
I lost in the first round the following day. I was cramping from very early on in the match. I was totally dehydrated. I hadn’t prepared properly at all the night before.
It was a tough learning experience for me. I promised myself if I ever got the opportunity again at the Olympics that I would focus solely on what I was there to do, which was trying to win a medal.
Because it comes around only ever four years it’s not like a Grand Slam or a tournament on the tour where you get a chance the following year to make up for it. It was a long, long wait and I was really gutted after I lost that one.
[The final at London 2012] was obviously one of the biggest, best days of my career. It was one of the biggest wins of my career against Roger [Federer]n the final of the Olympics in London and it came off the back of losing the final at Wimbledon four weeks beforehand.
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A lot of people were expecting [losing the 2012 Wimbledon final] to be really tough for me to get over. But because of what had happened in Beijing, I promised myself that this isn’t going to come around for a long time – an Olympics at home in London as well – so I made sure I prepared well to get the most out of it.
Carrying the flag at the opening ceremony at Rio [2016] was a massive honour. When I was told about that I was so excited to get the chance to do that. I love my sport, I love competing for my country. Just getting to compete in the Olympics was enough, but getting the chance to walk the whole team out at the opening ceremony was amazing. I absolutely loved that experience and everything about it.
I was fortunate enough to play another great tournament [at Rio 2016] and an amazing final with Del Potro. It was a brutal four-set match. He’d been playing really, really well. He’d beaten Novak in the first round, and Rafa in the semis. He pushed me really hard that day. And it was one of my best wins.
I’d love to play in another Olympics. I was gutted that I picked up a slight injury just before Tokyo and ended up not being able to play in the singles. We were so close in the quarter-finals of the doubles to give ourselves a chance at a medal. We were up a set and a break and didn’t quite get there. I’d love the chance to play again in Paris. It’s certainly a goal of mine to get myself in the team and see if I can win another medal, but yeh, I’d love to be part of Paris.