“There’s no triumph waiting, there’s no sunset to ride off in; we all want to be great men, and there’s nothing romantic about it,” sings Dan Campbell in ‘I Just Want to Sell Out My Funeral’, a seven-minute odyssey by rockers The Wonder Years.
“I just want to know that I did all I could with what I was given,” Campbell continues with an air of desperation, his phrases hanging heavy within the air and slicing via a shroud of blaring guitars.
It is a passage I come again to quite a bit after I take into consideration the profession of Andy Murray, a person with an undoubtedly nice profession, who by no means acquired to experience off into the sundown with one remaining main so as to add to his trophy cupboard, however a person who did every part he may with the instruments at his disposal.
Sometimes sport will not be in regards to the ending, the Disney fairytale born true; typically the journey is sufficient and in Murray’s case, his potential to dig his heels in towards at-time insurmountable odds, is an amazing story by itself.
It feels lazy to make a Braveheart comparability, a simile based mostly purely on shared Scottish roots, however the ever-unflinching Murray has constructed a profession on a staunch refusal to yield.
He was the fourth man within the Big Three, the odd man out amongst his friends as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic collected grand slams seemingly at will.
Murray’s three majors appear small by comparability, however it overshadows his file of 11 grand slam remaining appearances and he’s considered one of simply two gamers to beat Federer, Nadal and Djokovic 5 occasions.
Even when outgunned and outmatched, he was at all times up for a scrap, and if he was not going to win, he was going to make life a dwelling hell for the victor.
Perhaps his greatest problem got here at Melbourne Park 2019, when he fronted as much as the press, hobbled by a hip damage which left him on the point of retirement.
In an emotional press convention, the Scotsman who made his title on grit and willpower beat a hasty retreat out of the room as his tears overflowed after he admitted the percentages have been stacked towards him persevering with his profession.
But 4 years later, Murray continues to be right here, coming from a set and break right down to defy his personal physique and exterior expectations.
Against the world quantity 13 Matteo Berrettini final week, Murray turned again the clock in such a vigorous method it caught the Italian off guard as he toppled the Italian in a typical, basic five-setter.
Then he did it once more towards Thanassi Kokkinakkis, who was serving for the match at two units up, however made the error of giving Murray an inch; the Scot duly took a mile and pulled off a heist which might have Danny Ocean up on his toes and applauding.
We have seen this story many a time earlier than: again towards the wall, the percentages not doing him any favours, and but at all times discovering a option to dig his method out of the deepest properly within the wee hours of the morning, rising victorious after a cumulative ten hours on courtroom.
It in the end took its toll on the veteran, who was extra stiff than a board in the course of the first set of his third spherical encounter with Roberto Bautista Agut.
And but Murray, regardless of visibly wincing and transferring with the gait of an octogenarian at occasions, nonetheless conjured up a second set salvo to degree the match, earlier than the Spaniard finally noticed off his problem.
In an ideal world, Murray would have overcome the problem and continued on a fairytale run all through the second week in Melbourne.
For Murray to be out right here in any respect in 2023 is a blessing and a testomony to his endurance that even whereas working on near empty, he may nonetheless encourage hysteria along with his trademark gumption.
Just as a result of we didn’t get the proper ending, doesn’t imply we can’t take pleasure in his journey to get so far.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
