HOW do you deal with jet leg when you're Scotland's best loved sportsman? Tennis player Andy Murray took an unusual approach when international travel stopped him sleeping in the early hours of Saturday morning by hosting a public question and answer session on Twitter in which he opened up about his views on leading players, favourite slams and what he really thinks of his mum.
Murray, originally from Dunblane, who in November 2016 became the first British singles player to top the world rankings since the current system was introduced in 1973, also spoke of his current injury saying he "would give back being number one in the world just to be back playing on the court" in the social media Q&A. The player has a hip injury and has not played a competitive match since last year's Wimbledon. He had to go undergo surgery after failing to recover in time for the Australian Open, held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne.
The player opened the session at 5am, tweeting: "I'm the only [person] up with #jetlag anyone got a question for me? #askandy". The tweet received over 1,500 responses with questions ranging from technical points on proposed slam rules to queries about whether he considered Spanish player Feliciano Lopez was "the hottest player" of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), to which he answered: "He's a beautiful man."
One fan asked: "Do you really think that you have the same passion for tennis after being n1 [number one]" to which Murray replied: "I can tell you sitting on a couch right now whilst the @AustralianOpen is in that I would give back being number 1 in the world just to be back playing on the court again. Passion is much higher than it was then." The player, whose wife Kim gave birth to their second daughter last November, also tweeted about his disappointment in not being able to recover in time for the tournament earlier in the week.
The Scot's last competitive match was his Wimbledon quarter-final defeat by Sam Querrey in July. He withdrew from the US Open two days before the start of the tournament in August, and said he realised he was not ready to compete in Brisbane prior to the Australian Open when he tested his hip against other top-50 players. Murray, who has fallen to 19th in the world, has said his plan is "to be back playing around the grass-court season" in summer and claims his recovery is going "really well".
In response to a question about which Grand Slam was his favourite, he claimed it was equivalent to "choosing between four best friends to be best man at your wedding" but conceded that though he loved them all he had "known" Wimbledon longer than the Australian Open, Roland-Garros (the French Open), and the US Open.
He was also asked about the possibility of reducing men's matches at Grand Slams to best of three contests instead of best of five. "If it's what the people want then it's worth a try," he said. "I don't mind either way. Best of three is easier on the body and would help longevity. Best of five tests mental and physical side more."
Another tested his family loyalties asking: "Is @JudyMurray as cool as she seems on Twitter?" to which he tweeted back "Cool?!?! You've got to be kidding me". His mother, who initially coached both Murray and his brother, then retweeted it adding a single word of commentary:"Huh."
While fans may imagine that Murray keeps in top shape through a carefully controlled protein-heavy diet he admitted he had eaten pancakes with Nutella for breakfast in response to a query about "pigging out on junk food". But perhaps the ultimate controversy came with a question on whether he loves or loathes Vegemite. As one fan commented on his verdict – "rancid" – that's unlikely to see him invited back to Australia any time soon.
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