Carrying flag bigger than Wimbledon win – Murray

Posted: Aug 05, 2016

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Andy Murray has said being Great Britain’s flag bearer for Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony will be the “number one” moment of his career.

The 29-year-old, who won his second Wimbledon singles title last month, is the first tennis player to be chosen for the role.

Murray, also the defending Olympic men’s singles champion, told BBC Sport: “It’s bigger than winning a tournament.

“It doesn’t get much bigger than a chance to lead out your country.”

Describing the moment he was told he was going to carry the Union flag on behalf of the 366-strong squad, Murray added: “I’ve never felt that proud before.

“I know how I’ve felt after big tournaments, this was very, very different and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m sure it’s going to be a night I’ll never forget.”

The three-time Grand Slam winner said he would try to carry the flag with one hand in an attempt to copy Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Matthew Pinsent and Sir Chris Hoy at previous opening ceremonies.

“I looked at some of the photos and it does look a lot better so I’ll give it a go, but they were all bigger and stronger than me.

“I expect it to be incredibly emotional, I’m going to try and take it all in and enjoy it as much as I can. I can’t wait, it’s going to be an amazing night.”

The Olympic Games have played a significant role in Murray’s career, with the world number two saying he had learned a lot from his first-round loss in Beijing in 2008, while winning singles gold in London 2012 helped push him to further success.

“It’s the biggest sporting competition in the world by far,” he said.

“Getting to represent Great Britain in a home Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity. London worked out unbelievably well for me, but Beijing was also important.

“I had an amazing experience and learnt so much from losing in the first round. I had to wait four years to get another chance.”

The Briton said being part of Team GB and staying at the Olympic Village differed from a tennis player’s usual “selfish” routine.

“I’m sharing with my brother, which I haven’t done for about 15 years. That’s nice as well because it’s totally different to what we’re used to as tennis players.

“We’re always pretty selfish and doing stuff on our own but here you’re part of something much bigger, part of a team.”