Andy Murray recently revealed that he has felt pressure and suffered severe backlash from the British public each time he lost a match in his career.
Murray, 37, is widely regarded as one of the best sportsmen from Great Britain. He won three Grand Slam titles and reached the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in 2016.
He is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and was a key figure in the country's first Davis Cup success since 1936, nine years ago. At his pomp, Murray contested 11 Grand Slam finals.
The Scotsman played in possibly the most competitive era in men's tennis with legendary players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, but he still wrote countless records of his own and charted his name in the history books.
Murray's finest hour will forever be the 2013 Wimbledon triumph when he ended the nation's wait for a homegrown champion after 77 long years. Amid nervous energy around Centre Court, he showed nerves of steel to finish the dramatic last game to beat Djokovic in the final and lift the title.
But his career hasn't always been rosy despite taking the tag of the underdog when facing the aforementioned trio. Murray has battled career-threatening injuries and negative criticism from the unforgiving British press and public.
In a recent interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Murray reflected on some of the most telling moments of his career and discussed his longtime rival, Novak Djokovic.
The veteran journalist asked Murray about his view of the crowd support from when he started and when he became a household name in tennis. Murray opened up about the mixed reception he got after losing a match and said he could not understand why it happened.
"Each time you lost and didn't quite get there it felt like there was a backlash and disappointment for not achieving that goal. I don't know, I'm not sure exactly why there is a big sort of backlash or negativity around that, and it is definitely there and for sure, the athletes, they feel that."
Although this kind of pressure can be demoralizing, especially for a young athlete coming from a place that has only produced a dearth of tennis greats in the 21st century, Murray used it as a source of motivation and would always win the fans with his success, charisma, and resilience on the court.
This being his last year on the professional scene, he admitted that he would miss competing on the grandest stages and in front of "brilliant" atmospheres.
"That's the thing I'd definitely miss that a lot when I finish. I think anyone that's playing in professional sport you want to be playing on the biggest courts and in front of... I never minded if the crowd was for or against me, it was just playing in brilliant atmospheres."
Murray is due to take to the tennis court in his last tournament at the Paris Olympics. He has withdrawn from the singles competition and will focus on doubles, where he will team up with Daniel Evans.
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