It was a tender moment between two legends of British tennis. Andy Murray’s emotional farewell to Wimbledon had already included a tearjerker of a Centre Court interview with former BBC presenter Sue Barker.
He’d greeted some of the greats of the game — John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Novak Djokovic among others, who wanted to be there for Murray’s SW19 send-off.
And there he was, Dunblane’s finest, at the end of that VIP line-up, wrapping his arms around Tim Henman, the man he replaced as British No 1 when he was still a teenager back in 2005. Henman whispered something in Murray’s ear. Presumably an appreciation of a glittering career? Or best wishes for what comes next?
Well, neither of the above actually. Henman’s one-liner was this: ‘Rule number 76. No excuses. Play like a champion.’ And if you’re still baffled, it’s a line from the movie Wedding Crashers, which both men have watched so often they know the entire script practically word for word.
‘I’ve known Andy for a long time and he’s a great friend of mine,’ Henman tells Mail Sport. ‘He’s a great character, with a very good sense of humour.
‘Wedding Crashers has always been my favourite film and he loves it too so I said something stupid and used that (actor) Vince Vaughn line. He probably doesn’t even remember it. But it was great to be a part of that occasion.
Tim Henman cracks a joke with his good friend Andy Murray on Centre Court at Wimbledon
Henman lines up with fellow Brits Dan Evans, Cam Norrie and youngster Jack Draper
Murray greets Henman at the end of what proved to be his final match at Wimbledon
‘Hopefully there will be a time for him to reflect on it and look back on the incredible career he’s had.’
The longest on-court hug was reserved, naturally enough, for big brother Jamie after their doubles defeat proved to be Andy’s last match at Wimbledon. Emma Raducanu pulled out of their proposed mixed doubles outing after Andy’s lingering back trouble had put paid to his hopes of featuring in the singles.
‘It would have been great if Andy could have had a run in the singles,’ admits Henman. ‘But obviously, if you have a back operation two weeks before the tournament, he’s done unbelievably well to get out there.
‘So I thought it was very special to be on Centre Court with a full house and be there with his brother and his wife, a couple of their kids and Andy’s parents. Plus, obviously, a really good turn out of past and present players.
‘Andy really appreciated it. I know he appreciated it because he sent a couple of messages to the club and to myself, saying how much he enjoyed it.’
Now Murray will drag his battered body through the pain barrier one last time before calling it quits. The plan is to retire from tennis after playing in the doubles at the Paris Olympics with Dan Evans.
He’s won singles gold twice before at the greatest sports show on Earth. In 2012, he enjoyed sweet straight-sets revenge against Roger Federer, the Swiss master who had beaten him in the Wimbledon final a few weeks earlier. And four years later, in Rio, against Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro, becoming the first male tennis player to win two Olympic singles titles in a row.
‘It’s great that he’s going to play at the Olympics,’ says Henman. ‘I think when you reflect on his journey, beating Federer in London in 2012 for Olympic gold, I think that was such an important moment in his career. It’ll be very special to play in the Olympics again although, on clay, making that transition after back surgery is not going to be easy.
Novak Djokovic, Conchita Martinez, Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe were all present
‘His dedication and commitment is absolutely phenomenal. And that’s where, for him to have the hunger and desire and determination, after everything that he’s achieved, to still want to put in the hard yards is incredible.
‘That’s where I think he’s had such a big impact in the British game. There will be other players who think they work hard and then they see what he’s doing and they know that they’ve got to raise the bar higher. So his work ethic has been second to none because of what he’s gone through and is still going through.’
Murray’s Herculean efforts to extend his playing career have sometimes appeared to border on the ridiculous. For a long time, retirement has been much more a matter of when than if. In contrast, Henman says he was clear in his mind when he decided to hang up his racquet in 2007.
‘I think journey is a good word and everybody’s journey is different. And I felt very fortunate that when I decided to retire and then when I actually stopped, it was absolutely perfect.
‘I was in America. I had a couple of Masters 1000 events, then the US Open and then Davis Cup at home representing my country at Wimbledon. And still to be playing well into that final weekend.
‘Andy and I both played singles on the Friday. I won my match, he won his. And then I partnered Jamie in the doubles on the Saturday. I hit a winner on match point, my last-ever shot to win the tie three-love. It couldn’t have been any better.
‘When other players have retired from the game, they haven’t always been so fortunate. So yeah, I was very lucky and it was the right time for me to stop. I look back at that period and there are a lot of fond memories and I still love the game. But, you know, I don’t miss playing tennis myself.’
Henman talks a good game these days as one of the BBC’s top tennis analysts and clearly has plenty on his plate. There was no problem for him handling the change when his all-consuming tennis career shuddered to a halt.
‘Looking back, my wife and I had just had our third child. I had a lot of other interests away from tennis. And so I didn’t, in any way, struggle to fill that void. But if you don’t have other things in your life, then I think it can be very difficult. But Andy’s got his wife and four kids and I’m sure so many other things that he will want to do. I don’t think he’ll struggle.
‘The reality of it is, in sport, you retire a lot younger than most. I stopped when I was 33, and Andy’s 37 now. So you’ve got, hopefully, an enormous amount of time ahead. And that’s why I’ve always said that being a professional athlete’s the best job in the world.
‘So if you still have the hunger and desire to do that, and the capabilities, then you should do that because there is plenty of time to be retired. But, obviously, with the physical challenges that Andy’s had with his body, he’s decided this is the right time for him to stop.’
Judging by Murray’s blunt response to Barker’s Centre Court suggestion that he might join Henman and McEnroe in the commentary box, he has no plans to launch into a broadcasting career.
Henman laughs. ‘I didn’t take that personally. It’s a question of what you want to do. People ask me if I want to coach. I don’t want to coach. I don’t want to travel 30/35 weeks of the year but Andy might decide to coach.
‘I really enjoy doing the television side of things. So again, it’s horses for courses and I think my advice would be to take your time and he’ll have plenty of opportunities out there and he can assess what he wants to do and take it from there.
Andy and Jamie Murray had an emotional final moment on Wimbledon’s Centre Court
‘I’m sure he’ll still be in and around the game because it’s a passion of his. In what capacity? I don’t know. I don’t think he knows that. So that would be for us to wait and see.
‘What he’s achieved has been immense. That narrative around the last British male winner at Wimbledon was something I heard for many, many years and I wasn’t able to do it. So for Andy to do that, the first male champion in 77 years was I think his career-defining moment.
‘You can add to that a couple more Grand Slams, two Olympic golds, world No 1 and Davis Cup. So yeah, it’s phenomenal, what he’s achieved.’
And yet, despite the unbridled adulation for Murray in Scotland since he burst on the scene a couple of decades ago, widespread approval across the UK has been a much slower process.
Maybe taking over from Henman as the darling of British tennis was always going to be a big challenge. Maybe it was his heart-on-sleeve demeanour that seemed to rub a lot of people up the wrong way. Henman agrees it’s been a long road for Murray to achieve national treasure status.
‘It was me doing the interview with him (in 2006) when he said he would support any football team that was playing England. That was obviously a complete joke and we were laughing about it. Then it was, unfortunately, taken completely out of context by a journalist.
‘Andy really struggled with that for a long time. But, eventually, he absolutely won over the tennis public and the love and affection of the country because of his work ethic and I think his moral compass, the way he’s supported so many great causes. And he’ll be sorely missed, that’s for sure, when he’s no longer playing.’
