What you need to know:
- Andy Murray loses match, apologises to fan.
- Gets fan tickets to next match.
- Earlier, Murray talked about retiring from tennis.
Dubai: A tennis fan’s dream came true, when an Instagram post by her received comments from her favourite tennis player.
Andrew Murray fan, Jordyn Kollmorgen, attended a practice match between Murray and Novak Djokovic on Thursday. Murray lost, but Kollmorgen was excited to see her idol nonetheless, and posted about it on Instagram. To her surprise, Murray responded in the comment thread with an apology: “I am sorry I could not be more entertaining today” and offered her a ticket to a first round match.
Djokovic had a decisive win over Murray at the Australian Open practice match on January 10 with a 6-1, 4-1 lead, before the pair shook hands at the net.
Australian tennis fan, Kollmorgen, was one among a crowd of an estimated 2,000, according to a BBC report.
Despite Murray’s defeat, Kollmorgen was ecstatic to see her idol in person and posted photos from the match, captioned: “Still in absolute shock that I finally got to see the man behind my love for tennis in action today. If it was not for Andy, I would still be sitting at home, questioning my mother on how she could possibly watch a sport that is so ‘boring’. It was Muzza [Murray] that showed me just how entertaining tennis really could be and for that I thank him with my whole heart.”
To her surprise, Murray apologised in the comments for his match performance. He wrote “I am sorry I could not be more entertaining today. Thanks for the support.”. Kollmorgen replied “...just seeing you out on court today was more than enough entertainment for me.”.
Murray did not stop there, however, and went on to offer her tickets to a first round match. He commented: “If you would like to come along and watch my match on Monday or Tuesday, I will sort you a ticket.”
To which she replied: "If it is no trouble, I would love absolutely nothing more than that, thank you."
Meanwhile, Twitter was abound with kind words and appreciation after Murray’s retirement announcement on Friday.
The 31-year-old tearfully stated at a press conference that he could no longer endure the pain due to his hip damage while playing. He admitted that the Australian Open matches might be his last, if he is unable to play at the Wimbledon series.
Former World No. 1 @BillieJeanKing tweeted: “@andy_murray. You are a champion on and off the court. So sorry you cannot retire on your own terms, but remember to look to the future. Your greatest impact on the world may be yet to come. Your voice for equality will inspire future generations. Much love to you and your family.”
Tennis player, Bob Bryan (@BryanBros), who is a doubles champion and plays with his brother Mike Bryan, tweeted: “We will all forever remember the mark he left on our sport...but I will also never forget the afternoon he carved time out of his busy training schedule to help raise money for our kids foundation [Bryan Bros. Foundation]. This guy has a heart of gold and will always be a legend in tennis and life. #andymurray”
Twitter user @lucindapreston wrote: “So sad to hear about the physical and emotional pain Andy Murray is going through. He has not only been a fantastic tennis player but a brilliant ambassador for the sport and a staunch defender of women’s equality in tennis. #AndyMurray”
