I think Federer is the best in this area," Murray humorously ranks the most emotional players of the Big 4
Tennis legend Andy Murray left his mark on the sport for nearly two decades. The only player to reach world No. 1 during the peak era of the Big 3, the Scot—winner of 46 ATP titles (including 3 Grand Slams, 14 Masters 1000s, the ATP Finals, and two Olympic gold medals in singles)—could have had an even more impressive record.
The player who reached 11 Major finals and 21 Masters 1000 finals often stumbled at the final hurdle, largely due to the dominance of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, who repeatedly blocked his path in finals.
In an interview with GQ Magazine, the 38-year-old Murray—officially retired since last year's Paris Olympics—was asked to rank his former Big 4 rivals based on who struggled the most to hide their emotions after painful defeats and who cried the most often.
"I think Federer is the best in this area. Then I’d say me. After that, it’s really hard to choose because I haven’t seen Rafa (Nadal) or Novak (Djokovic) cry often. But I’d still say Novak, and then Rafa. I think I’ve seen Djokovic cry a few times, though.
A lot of people have asked me whether showing emotions in tennis is important. Personally, I was really affected by my loss in the 2012 Wimbledon final.
It just showed how human I am. When I started my career, I went from a complete unknown to a future star in just a few months.
Suddenly, people began analyzing how you speak, how you dress, how you behave, and also judging your tennis level and potential. You feel like everyone is judging you.
So I think it’s a very human reaction to be defensive in those moments. I didn’t feel like the media tried to put themselves in our shoes and understand that.
When I lost that Wimbledon final, it was the first time I truly showed so much emotion in public. From that point on, I probably felt a bit more comfortable showing emotions throughout the rest of my career," Murray concluded.
After losing the 2010 Australian Open final to Federer, Murray lightened the mood with a famous line to the Australian crowd: "I can cry like Roger (Federer), it's just a shame I can't play like him.
