Andy Murray got brickbats for being honest - and Scottish-but I'll miss him

AS the sibling of a professional tennis player, much of my childhood was spent mooching around various tennis courts killing time, in particular the National Tennis Centre in south-west London.

- Emma Loffhagen

On one of these occasions I was knocking balls about and waiting for my brother, a certain Andy Murray walked past, and up to the door of one of the meeting rooms. Knocking and waiting patiently outside the door, he then said to the starstruck room, “Hi everyone, I’m so sorry to interrupt, I’m Andy — could I sit down?”

It was a fleeting moment, and one that Murray, right, has almost certainly forgotten. But for me, as a young fan, it remained etched in my mind as even more reason to support him — because he seemed like a genuinely nice person.

As the tributes to one of Britain’s greatest athletes flooded in this week after Murray waved goodbye to a tearyeyed Wimbledon Centre Court for the very last time on Thursday, much of the focus has been on this somewhat unlikely aspect of Murray’s legacy — his impact off the court.