Shortly after becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years, Andy Murray published an autobiography chronicling his tennis journey. Andy Murray Seventy-Seven: My Road to Wimbledon Glory is billed as a deeply personal book that celebrates the player’s career up to that point in time.
It is impossible for me to write about this book without comparing it to Virginia Wade’s Courting Triumph, which I reviewed last week. In fact, I suspect that Murray was attempting to take a page out of Wade’s book by feeding into the national euphoria that occurs after a British player wins the Wimbledon title. Courting Triumph provided a more balanced account of a life’s journey than Seventy-Seven.
There is a lot of tennis in this autobiography. Murray spends a lot of pages providing a point-by-point account of not only his Wimbledon title match but also many others along the way. In doing so, he pulls the curtain back on the on-court mental pressures of competing at that level. The palpable relief of receiving an unforced error on match point will resonate for players who have experienced the same thing.
Murray shares some nuggets of wisdom for playing tennis on grass courts. That provides insight and appeal to players with aspirations for competing on that surface. He also describes the training and mental preparation required to win at the highest levels. Not surprisingly, it takes years of hard work and personal dedication to win Grand Slam titles.
It was a pleasant surprise that Murray shared details of his turbulent journey with sports agencies. He first signed with a representative when he was only thirteen years old. The first of many subsequent changes came when he was eighteen. Murray shares the necessity of sponsorship to finance his training at the Casals-Sanchez Academy. At the same time, he reflects that teenage boys are not well-equipped to make sound financial decisions.
Murray describes his long history of injuries in excruciating detail. It provides some insight into the physical pressures that may partially explain his frequent lapses of positive body language on the court. However, it comes off as merely an excuse at times.
The British press can be brutal and unforgiving, and Murray admits that he may have provided fuel to that fire with ill-considered comments made early in his career. The evolution of how he approaches the media is apparent in this autobiography.
If you are a fan of the player, Andy Murray Seventy-Seven: My Road to Wimbledon Glory is required reading for the sake of completeness. For everyone else, this ie a valuable snapshot. I suspect that a more comprehensive biography is yet to come. The book on Murray’s career needs to be closed for that to happen.
 | Andy Murray: Seventy-Seven |
