It would appear that despite many people going into bat for him Andy Murray’s supporters were sent back to the club rooms almost as quickly as England’s top order in the Ashes.
Despite a strong recommendation from the Sport Honours Committee headed by Lord Coe that Andy Murray be awarded a knighthood on the back of becoming several key tennis achievements. Murray became the first British player since 1977, and the first British man since 1936, to win a Grand Slam singles tournament, when he beat Novak Djokovic to win the US Open. That victory also made him the only British male to become a Grand Slam singles champion during the Open Era. He also won the Olympic tennis gold medal in 2012 in London.
However it was in 2013 when on 7 July, he won the Wimbledon Championships, to become the first British man to do so since Fred Perry, 77 years previously. He again beat Djokovic in the final.
The final decision lies with the powers that be in Whitehall and the response from them was that it was “too soon.”
This has left many tennis fans angered and baffled as the same body was quick to bestow a knighthood on Tour de France winner and Olympic cycling Gold medallist Bradley Wiggins. Then again the 2013 winner of the Tour de France Kenyan born Chris Froome was also overlooked.
The one relief is that these decisions have tended to kill the murmurs of David Beckham receiving a tap on the shoulder, he too may have to wait a little while longer.
