Andy Murray on being ‘pretty laid back’, being intimidated by Marat Safin, being called a ‘f****** loser’

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Andy Murray on the practise court

He has been called “moody and difficult”, but Andy Murray says away from a tennis court he is “pretty laid back” while he also opened up about why he is a realist and being hurt by a comment from someone on the street.

Murray was due to take part in the bett1HULKS Championships in Cologne this week before being ruled out with a pelvis problem.

Andy Murray gives update on latest injury setback as he vows to return to court ‘soon’

However, ahead of the tournament he did a fun piece with The Guardian and here are some highlights.

On being seen as moody and difficult…
“People see me on TV and think I am very intense, moody and difficult. But take me away from the court and I’m pretty laid back.I don’t have a temper. I don’t break things; I don’t punch walls; I don’t shout and scream. But when I’m on the tennis court, I do.”

Being intimidated by former world No 1 Marat Safin…
“The only player I was intimidated by – and I don’t know why, exactly – was Marat Safin. I played him when I was young at Cincinnati, in 2005. Sometimes I’d speak to him and he’d be nice, and sometimes – I don’t know whether he didn’t like me or not – I found it a bit tricky.”

Why he is a realist…
“I’m neither an optimist nor a pessimist. I’m a realist. I want to be given what the reality of the situation is, not someone trying to put a positive spin on it – or a negative spin. In life, sometimes things are s*** and sometimes things are really good. But things aren’t good all of the time.”

Being hurt by a comment from someone on the street…
“People have said some terrible things to me, but I don’t let it bother me. But there was one time. I had just lost in the semis at Wimbledon [against Rafael Nadal in 2011] and was walking down the street with my wife. Some guys drove past and screamed, ‘You fucking loser!’ It was a period in my career where I was already doubting myself. I found it hurtful.”

On whom of the Big Four (Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & Murray) will call it a day first…
“People ask me, who will retire first: Federer, Djokovic, Nadal or myself? I’d say Federer. He’s 39. But who knows? If something happened to my hip, for instance, I couldn’t do anything about it.”

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