Andy Murray, with Grace, Admits He Was Never at the same Level as the Big 3

During his theater tour in Glasgow, Andy Murray spoke about the Big 3 and his time coaching Novak Djokovic.

Andy Murray, with Grace, Admits He Was Never at the same Level as the Big 3

L-R: Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic (Image via X/CGTN Sports Scene)

Andy Murray’s theater tour, ‘Andy Murray- Centre Stage’, commenced with its first stop in Glasgow. The Scotsman will also visit Edinburgh and London this month as a part of the tour. In conversation with sports broadcaster Andrew Cotter, the tour features recounts of intimate and untold moments from Murray’s career. 

Murray is arguably Britain’s greatest tennis player in the Open Era, with the Scot winning the 2012 US Open, followed by the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon Championships. He also clinched two gold medals, in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, respectively.

What makes his accomplishments remarkable is the fact that they were achieved in the era dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. However, Murray gracefully declined any comparison to that of the level of the Big 3 when speaking to Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo. As reported via The Times:

It’s not something I lose any sleep over at night. I’m fully aware that what those guys achieved is far greater than anything I’ve done. I would never claim to be on the same level as them. It (his career) was special, and I didn’t do a good job of celebrating those good times and acknowledging the achievements and stuff. I regret that. My perspective has changed hugely since I finished playing. I do look back, and I feel proud about what I achieved. It feels like a really, really long time ago already.

The four, nearly a month ago, reunited for Nadal’s tribute ceremony at the Roland Garros, an event that left tennis fans teary-eyed and commemorated the Spaniard’s momentous legacy of 14 Grand Slam titles in that tournament.

Djokovic is the only one of the four still playing on tour, and he will be aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title in the upcoming Wimbledon championships. However, a major challenge for him will be World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated him in the finals of the previous two editions of the Grand Slam event, and of course, world no. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Andy Murray admitted that he’s not sure if he enjoyed coaching Novak Djokovic

In the event in Glasgow, Andy Murray also made a humorous remark on his brief coaching stint with Novak Djokovic. The two longtime rivals had sent waves in the tennis world by announcing their coaching partnership last year in November.

They’ve had a few good moments, with Djokovic reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, albeit retiring due to a hamstring injury, and then two months later reaching the finals of the Miami Open, where he lost to Jakub Mensik. 

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray
Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray (Image via ATP/X)

We had a chat on the phone, and he asked me if I would consider coaching him, which I wasn’t expecting. I think it was a pretty unique opportunity. I was really enjoying being at home, but I thought I should give it a go and see whether I enjoyed it. I’m not sure if I did.

The two parted ways last month, with Djokovic announcing the news on his socials. After the split, Djokovic went on to compete at the Geneva Open, an ATP 250 tournament, where he finally clinched his 100th career title.

The victory gave him a boost of confidence for a good performance at the Roland Garros after what was a rather disappointing start to the clay season. The Serbian reached the semifinals of the tournament, where he eventually lost to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Murray has, since the split, been vocal about how he would like to coach once again in the future, but he isn’t considering it at the present moment.

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