“Said Things I Shouldn’t Have”: Andy Murray Recalls When He was Anxious to Face Media

Three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray has said that with more years in the game, he has become more discreet when it comes to facing the tennis media.

In a chat with former Slovak tennis star Daniela Hantuchova, Murray revealed what made him more measured with his words when speaking to media people.

Andy Murray says he never shied away from speaking his mind

When asked if he has enjoyed facing the tennis media or has tried to keep a distance from them, Murray said that while he never shied away from speaking his mind to the press, he does now regret saying things he shouldn’t have said

“When I first started on the Tour, I quite liked it, I didn’t mind it because I was young and, sort of, said what I thought and I didn’t that much about what I was saying,” the Brit said. He said the media, especially the British press, seemed to like and enjoy his outspoken ways.

“A lot of them, especially the British press, seemed to enjoy that at the beginning. But then I had a few issues early in my career where I said things that, maybe, I shouldn’t have said,” Murray said.

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When Murray’s media statements landed him in trouble

Murray said that there were things he said in a lighter vein that were twisted out of context and made into needless controversies. “Some things that I had intended to be jokes were turned into something different that were very serious. And it actually caused me quite a lot of issues for a number of years,” Murray recalled.

What made Andy Murray anxious about interviews

Murray said that such was the unintended fallout of his media statements, that he was ‘anxious’ and ‘nervous’ when it came to doing interviews later. “I started to feel very anxious and nervous about doing interviews, press conferences, like doing something like this (chat with Hantuchova) for example,” Murray said. However, he has gotten over that phase where he was scared to face the media.

“Now, I like it, I know that it’s comfortable and nothing bad’s gonna happen,” Murray said.

Murray, however, still has memories of some interviews that made him feel uncomfortable. He said, “There’s a few interviews that I did, where, I don’t know, made me feel uncomfortable. Probably, in the middle part of my career I didn’t enjoy it so much, whereas now I’m fine with it. The latter part of my career, I didn’t mind it so much. But there was definitely a period in my career where I struggled with it. I felt very anxious, and I didn’t really know how to act, how to behave, and it was tough.” 

Having missed the better part of the 2020 season due to a return of a hip injury post-surgery, Murray has resumed training in the hope of making a strong comeback to the circuit. He did play the US Open this year, but lost in the second round.