Andy Murray stands alone as the greatest British sportsman of the past 30 years.
That’s according to his former coach Mark Petchey who was speaking to us here at BoyleSports in an exclusive interview ahead of Wimbledon.
Petchey, who also coached US Open winner Emma Raducanu, was candid when discussing Andy Murray’s chances of making Wimbledon, how he has defied medical logic and what could be next for the former world number one.
The Prognosis for Andy Murray Making Wimbledon
The only thing I know about Andy is that if there is a way there is an abundance of will. The best place to stop for him would obviously be Wimbledon. I know for the past five years he has done everything in his power every week, whether it is injections, MRIs, rehab, to try to put himself on the court.
I don’t know how serious the prognosis is right now but he will give himself a chance I’m sure.
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Andy Murray Defies Medical Logic
I remember speaking to Ivan Lendl when Andy had his hip resurfaced. Ivan said: ‘I always felt I was the lighthouse for rehab on the ATP tour when I was playing. I felt I did it better than anyone else but Andy takes it to a whole new level.’
Just from being around him for so long, he is the most disciplined athlete in the world when trying to come back from something. It is awe-inspiring to see him dedicate half an hour to the smallest of movements to be able to try to figure out a way to get back on court.
He has defied logic, but he has done so because of his work ethic.
Andy Deserves a Rousing Home Send-Off at Wimbledon
He does deserve the perfect ending because of what he has done for British tennis over the past 20 years.
But I also know that sport doesn’t always give you the perfect ending and doesn’t necessarily give you the fairytale.
But sport is life and at times it can be absolutely brutal. There is a chance he won’t get the farewell he wants.
Will Andy Stay On for Another Year Just for the Farewell?
I would put nothing past Andy. If he doesn’t get the farewell at Wimbledon or at the Olympics, then there is a chance that he will dig deep enough to try and see if his body will give him another 12 months.
A lot will depend on his personal pride. A lot of him is hurting because of his results this year. He hasn’t been out there to make up the numbers. He hasn’t been out there just to try to make Wimbledon. That wasn’t his goal. His goal was to go deep in tournaments and to prove to himself that he was still capable of mixing it with the best still.
What’s Your Relationship with Andy Murray Like?
We are still close. It is different to back in the early days when he was living in my house before Queens. I helped him out for a couple of weeks and it went from there. He had just split from his coach and there was nobody else who could help him.
I looked after him for the grass court season and things went well. That is how it evolved. We have stayed good friends ever since and have had a relationship that lasts to this day. I hope it continues past when he retires.
Has Andy Ever Talked About Retirement and His Future Plans?
He probably needs a doctor more than me telling him what he should do!
I just want him to feel no regrets when he puts his racket down. And he shouldn’t have any. I want him to be able to walk from the sport which he has given so much to knowing that he has done everything he could do and that he was able to give himself the best farewell he could have. We will have to wait and see what he wants.
Andy Murray’s Standing Among British Sporting Greats
He is the greatest British sportsman of the past 30 years. I know optically football players are always going to get much higher ratings in that department but if you are going to ask me about a sport where a tournament lasts two weeks, where you have to remain healthy, beat seven people with different styles and in different conditions, tennis is the most demanding.
That is not me looking at my sport through rose-tinted glasses. It is what numerous top sports people have said. Tennis when they look at it, for what you have to be on a court to be the best and Andy was world number 1 for a 12-month period, the best player on the planet, is the most demanding.
You have to have hand-eye coordination, endurance, mental strength and also have the physical capacity to be able to sprint and the mental capacity to be able to strategize.
Tennis at the top is like chess at 90 mph so I really believe he is the best sportsman of his generation and I would die on that hill.
How Andy Murray Succeeded In The Greatest Era of Men’s Tennis
It is the best era we have ever seen in men’s tennis. Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. Andy belongs in that company. I will never go down the GOAT debate because it is impossible to compare eras. If you put the technology we have now in Rod Laver’s hands, he would have found a way to be the best. But the greatness we have in terms of each winning 20 plus majors is unparalleled. For Andy to be part of that mix and indeed to break out as he did in 2016 is astonishing.
For him to have overcome the adversity he did in the first chapter of his career and achieve what he did, reinforces my argument why I believe he is the greatest British sportsman of his era. It would have been easy for him to say, ‘You know what I am just not cut out for this.’
Andy Murray Would Be A Great Coach
One thing that I think Andy would be incredibly inspired to do is to coach. I don’t think he would want to go into the media. Not everybody loves it. Not everyone moves over to the dark side! Stefan Edberg for example is someone who would have incredible insight having worked with Federer. He just doesn’t want to do it.
I would put Andy in that bracket. I would be very surprised if Andy ended up commentating or being a pundit. There might be the odd day here or there.
But if there is one thing he would excel at, it is coaching. For someone like Andy it is the challenge of what to do next, the black hole you go into after stopping playing. You’ll never be better at something than he was at tennis. He has to find a substitute for 90% of his life. Being a coach and helping British kids would be number one on my list and we would be fortunate to have him.
Could Andy Murray Coach Emma Raducanu?
Absolutely. Of course he could! If that option came up for Emma she would be mad not to take it. That would be the dream team in so many ways. He would be phenomenal.
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