Murray’s dry humour was once already established right through his junior days.
“Who is the best participant within the historical past of Scotland?” a reporter probed.
“Me?” he spoke back.
Murray added: “My mum was once an OK participant, however we have now were given one senior man who is, like, 220 on this planet. With the exception of him, there may be no longer actually any one that is been superb.”
That “senior man” was once Alan Mackin, whose win-loss excursion stage report reached 1-15. Murray retired with a 739-262 tally.
First up for Murray within the 2004 junior name run was once 15-year-old Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, who was once walloped 6-0 6-1.
Twelve years later, Murray beat Del Potro once more within the Rio Olympics ultimate – through which level each males had gained a US Open males’s name.
And if there’s familiarity in regards to the identify of Stakhovsky, the person who stood in Murray’s means within the ultimate, there’s excellent explanation why for that.
The Ukrainian accomplished a jaw-dropping 2013 victory towards Roger Federer at Wimbledon, boasting he “kicked the butt” of the Swiss. With Federer nursing a sore bottom, Murray swooped for that name, too.
Murray’s retirement got here simply weeks in the past. His frame were sending code-red messages for years; the thoughts in the end took heed.
His recreation was once born in Dunblane and nurtured in Spain, however New York was once the place observers started measuring him up towards Britain’s main guy Henman.
“I have been in comparison to him so much, which is superb,” Murray mentioned in 2004. “I believe I will do it. However simply now I am nowhere close to as excellent as Tim.”
Henman reached six Slam semi-finals – the final coincidentally got here on the 2004 US Open – however a last remained elusive.
After beating Stakhovsky, Murray stated the load coming his means.
“This event’s a large deal for me, however in a couple of years everybody’s going to have forgotten about it and they are going to be on the lookout for me to win within the senior Grand Slams,” he mentioned. “I consider that I will cross proper to the highest.”
