Murray Brothers Serve Up A Double Act
The Braveheart lads besiege Wimbledon
LONDON, July 1, 2008 — -- Scotland's Andy Murray has captured the imagination of British tennis fans after sweeping into the men's quarterfinals at Wimbledon, giving him a shot at becoming the first British men's Wimbledon champion in 72 years.
Murray has besieged Centre Court as if it was the Battle of Bannockburn, conjuring up the memory of Robert the Bruce, the famous Scottish king.
Although this Scot had seemed emotionally and physically spent, on Monday he clawed his way back from two sets down to defeat one of the top ten players in the world, Frenchman and eight-seed Richard Gasquet in a 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, (7-3), 6-2, 6-4 tumultuous victory.
He was backed by throngs of British fans yelping, screaming, burying their faces in their hands, some daring not to look and all applauding through every enthralling rally.
Fifteen thousand fans, with teeth clenched, perched on the edge of their seats, chanting "Murray, Murray" on the lawns of Wimbledon's Murray Mount , and thousands crowded round televisions all over the United Kingdom as the 12th seed hit a thundering service winner to win the match shortly before 9:30 p.m.
Murray was thrilled by the rabid fans. "It was the best support I've ever had in my life. When it happens, you have to really enjoy it. It's very important to try and use the energy of the crowd.... [They were] just awesome."
While Andy sweated it out, he was not the only Murray making headlines. His elder brother Jamie, a doubles player, has in recent years become the second coming of John McEnroe, circa 1981, by hogging the limelight, not with his play but rather with the flamboyant mop of hair he has sported. It has long attracted abuse from spectators, but it all changed this week.
Jamie's mom, Judy, took to the radio telling listeners the big news.
"You'll see a very different Jamie out there. He shaved off all his hair last night. He did it himself in the flat."
When asked how short it was, she replied, "He could be in the army."
So GI Jamie appeared on court 3 on Monday ready to fight second seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, but he and partner Max Mirnyi of Belarus lost in straight sets in the third round of the men's doubles.
Related Stories
ABC News Live