“Novak was significantly more emotional” : Andy Murray explains why winning an Olympic gold medal is an important milestone

Andy Murray recently spoke about the importance of winning an Olympic gold medal. The Briton claimed the Olympic singles gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, as he defended his throne at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Briton explained why it is important to have tennis at the Summer Games.

Andy Murray reflected on Novak Djokovic’s triumph at the Paris Olympics last year, where he finally claimed the gold medal. He defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the finals in straight sets. The Briton stated that Djokovic was very emotional after his victory, stating this example to explain why an Olympic medal is always special.

“A lot of tennis players don’t think tennis should be in the Olympics because it’s not considered the pinnacle. But Djokovic won the Olympics in Paris, and if you go and see how he reacted to winning that in comparison to any of his Grand Slams, he was significantly more emotional. All the tennis players who have won Olympic golds, [it is] the most amazing thing. In the Olympics, you get very few chances,” said Murray.

Novak Djokovic has claimed 24 Grand Slam titles, and has won almost everything there is in world tennis. However, the Serbian has stated on multiple occasions that winning a gold medal at the Olympics was his biggest achievement yet. Novak Djokovic recently stated that he hopes to continue competing till the 2028 LA Olympics. The Olympic gold medal was the last big title claimed by Novak Djokovic, as he has failed to win a single Grand Slam tournament since then. The Serbian managed to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slams this season, but failed to reach the finals of any event.

Andy Murray also recalled practicing with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer a couple of weeks before a big tournament. The Brit stated that it helped him identify the quality of his game in comparison to his rivals.

“I like practising with them just because it gave me the chance to see where my game was at. I wouldn’t practise with them a couple of days before a big match, but a couple weeks out from a major tournament, then I would practise with those guys. I was never going for dinner with them, whereas now, I’d love to do that — see them a few times socially,” said Murray.