Let’s Go Andy, Let’s Go

Round & About

tennis

Robbie James turns his attention to British hero Andy Murray as he embarks on what will be his last Wimbledon

I’m going to miss Andy Murray the event organiser more than Andy Murray the tennis player, and we can learn so much from the relationship we’ve formed with him over the years.

Summers of sport have an undeniable ability to unify often divided British population, even if just for 90 minutes at a time. Non sports fans become sports fans. Parks become fan zones. Andrew Castle the political commentator becomes Andrew Castle the tennis commentator. Tournament schedules create the occasion, but the personnel involved turn those occasions into real life history. Yes I’m cringing too, but am I wrong?

As we’re learning with the England men’s football team, we channel our emotion and desire in contrasting ways, depending on the sport

When a 25-year-old Andy Murray lost the first Wimbledon final of his career in 2012 to Roger Federer, and proceeded to tear up during his post-match interview with Sue Barker, we weren’t calling for his coach, Ivan Lendl to get sacked. We weren’t telling Twitter how underwhelmed and fed up we were. We just wanted to give the bloke a hug.

We’ve been able to form a deeper bond with Andy than we’ve managed with any team, and that’s largely thanks to the frequency of Wimbledon (compared to the Olympics), and our old friend terrestrial television.

Does he feel like extended family? I think to a lot of people he probably does. His emotion is loud, and it’s there on court for us all to see, so naturally he feels accessible. No doubt it helps that we’ve seen mother Judy, wife Kim, and brother Jamie on our screens almost as much as we’ve seen Andy during his time on Centre Court. I’m going to really miss seeing Judy Murray looking absolutely furious with her wee son.

We feel sincere empathy for his placement within the Dunblane massacre, and then inevitable lifelong trauma he must so often need to fight. We will for him to succeed. Even in these (seemingly) last few months of his career, we’re not willing for him to necessarily even win, we just want one more moment where we can chant “let’s go Andy, let’s go”. We want to hear him scream “nooooo Andyyyyy for f**k sake” and look up to his coaching box like they’ve somehow hacked his body’s computer and decided to smash a forehand into the net just for a laugh. We just want one more theatre performance.

He’s won over the personality police. How it took so many people so long to understand that he’s just a shy man is beyond me, but I’m very pleased that he’s now got the backing of so many of his critics. I think we’ve been very lucky to have had access to such an authentic personality. Alongside his beautifully dry sense of humour, the Scotsman’s managed to use his platform for good, without becoming a propaganda machine. We’ll hear or see him subtly stand up for what he believes in, like the times he’s called out casual sexism in various news conferences. No malice, and no hint of making it about him, something many celebrities are unable to achieve.

Murray’s first Wimbledon title in 2013 will live with me for a long time. The game of cricket I was playing on that Sunday afternoon became completely irrelevant as me and my best mate Will sat around the FM radio. (Tennis wins the award for ‘Best Ambient Sound’ at Robbie’s Silly Sports Awards by the way. Chit-chat. Silence. Applause. Repeat for up to six hours. Glorious).

The winning moment was a split-second moment, just like a goal, a wicket, a nine darter; but this wasn’t a moment of euphoria that made you want to take your top off and throw your warm beer in the air. It was just a moment that made you want to smile. You didn’t want to jump around because you wanted to catch Andy’s reaction, Judy’s reaction, Centre Court’s reaction. You wanted to hear the upcoming interview. You just wanted to smile and absorb the screen, or in my case, the sounds of the radio.

I hope we can all learn to champion more of our wonderful athletes and teams in the way we’ve got behind Andy for the last 15 years. We owe that man so much for the joyous moments he’s given us. Not bad for a man who doesn’t smile.

Love tennis!

Karen Neville

tennis

Wimbledon starts today (1st July) so expect to see more people out with their tennis rackets and more strawberries being eaten.

There are so many ways to get involved in the sport with many clubs holding open days giving you the opportunity to give the game a try for yourself.

Abingdon

Among those encouraging you to do just that is Abingdon Lawn Tennis Club which aside from the physical benefits of the game is keen to stress the social side of the game too – whether you want to play competitively or just for fun, it really is suitable for everyone from three to 83.

The Lawn Tennis Association has served up a plan to widen the appeal of the sport with TENNIS Opened Up promoting its appeal to players of any age, ability, background and fitness level with various schemes available as well as mini tennis for youngsters. All of these can be catered for at ALTC.

A great way to try the game for yourself or as a re-introduction is to try out ALTC’s open day for free on Sunday, 23rd June at Southern Town Park, Lambrick Way, a week before Wimbledon starts and tennis fever grips the nation. Once you’re hooked the club offers twice weekly club nights for non-members as well as holding team matches, intra-club singles leagues and coaching sessions throughout the year.

Abingdon Lawn Tennis Club boasts five men’s, five women’s and five mixed teams in addition to formal and social tournaments and in 2018 was named Oxfordshire Club of the Year, recognised for its growth in player numbers, coaching, inclusion and innovation.
The friendly, welcoming club has no playing standard requirements just a great love for the game which they want to pass on.

Henley

Teach Me Tennis offer coaching for juniors from the age of three and a comprehensive adult programme based at Peppard Tennis Club just outside Henley-on-Thames. 
They run sessions based around low player to coach ratios so they can ensure all children get lots of quality instruction and feedback. Their belief is that all players should learn not only to hit a ball but also the skills and information needed to play a match whatever their age or on court experience. Term-time sessions run every day after school and on Saturdays starting from age three, with popular tennis camps running during the school holidays for children aged 4+. Play continues all year round on six all-weather courts with floodlights and a modern clubhouse.

Contact Teach Me Tennis for more information on  01491 728080, email [email protected] or visit the website at www.teachmetennis.co.uk

Bradfield

Another opportunity to give tennis a try is available at Bradfield Tennis Centre at Bradfield College Sports Complex near Reading.
It offers world class coaching to players of all ages and abilities. The coaching team firmly believes in “tennis for life”, and welcomes children of all ages to engage in this truly enriching sport.

All of the highly qualified LTA accredited + coaching team have a desire to pass on their knowledge to inspire children to develop a love of the game through on court drills covering the four pillars of tennis – technical, tactical, physical and mental.

Tennis at Bradfield is a sport for everyone to enjoy and provides pathways towards representing the centre in local leagues as well as county, regional, national and international competitions. The team encourages juniors to come for taster sessions prior to committing to the programme and looks forward to welcoming players over the summer holidays in the fun and energetic camps.

Adult tennis players of all abilities are catered for at Bradfield Tennis Centre with courses for beginners, intermediate and team players.
Should you not wish to receive coaching, why not sign up to our extremely popular cardio tennis sessions, which are great for improving fitness levels, you could burn off up to 800 calories per session!

The world class Plexi – Pave indoor and outdoor clay court facilities are open for members and non-members to hire.
To book or for more information please call 0118 964 4600 or 0118 964 4603 or visit www.bradfieldsportscomplex.co.uk

Visit Wimbledon's website