Tennis stars — they’re just like us. When they’re upset, frustrated or overcome with FOMO (fear of missing out, that is), they unfollow their friends on Instagram to avoid further disappointment.
Former world No 1 tennis star Andy Murray has revealed that’s more or less what he had to resort to, after he was forced to miss the Australian Open due to testing positive for Covid-19, leaving him feeling 'gutted'.
The British player couldn't bare to watch the tournament that he was ruled out of - even through snippets posted online.
“I watched very little, I wanted to be there and it was a struggle,” said 33-year-old Murray, according to the BBC.
“I stopped following all the tennis players I follow on social media because I just really didn’t want to see it,” he added.
- The rise of a tennis great: How Novak Djokovic overcame adversity to reach the top
- Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal: Who is the GOAT of tennis?
- EPL: 6 big reasons Liverpool are faltering, as the reigning champs have much to reckon with
- Novak Djokovic beats Stefanos Tsitsipas in Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open final
- In pictures: The greatest sacrifices athletes have made in sport
- Photos: How Naomi Osaka won fourth Grand Slam at Australian Open
Murray isn’t so disconnected, however, that he's missed the fact that Novak Djokovic, 33, won his ninth Australian Open title (and 18th Grand Slam) on Sunday, afer beating 25-year-old Daniil Medvedev in the final. He isn’t surprised.
“It’s different standing to return or to serve in a Grand Slam final, than a quarter-final or a semi-final, when you are coming up against someone who’s won 17 of them,” said Murray.
“It’s pretty intimidating and the younger guys have not shown that they are particularly close. At the US Open, [Dominic] Thiem did what he had to do to win the event, but if Novak hadn’t put a ball through the line judge’s throat, it would have been the same outcome, I think,” he added.
Murray is of course referring to last year's tournament in America, where Djokovic defaulted after he hit a ball off the court in frustration and accidentally struck a line judge’s throat. He was swiftly disqualified.
Murray in January announced that he was 'devastated' to withdraw from the Australian Open due to a nightmare of logistics stemming from a Covid-19 positive result.
“Gutted to share that I won’t be flying out to Australia to compete at the Australian Open,” he said, adding: “We’ve been in constant dialogue … to try and find a solution which would allow some form of workable quarantine, but we couldn’t make it work.”
