ANDY Murray has insisted his Olympic titles are worth every bit as much as any of his Grand Slams as he prepares to pursue a golden hat-trick in Tokyo.
The 34-year-old, currently ranked 104th in the world, admits earning a third successive men’s singles crown following triumphs in London and Rio would be “probably my best achievement” after all the injuries and surgeries he has had to overcome.
But the former Wimbledon and US Open winner is putting himself on the line, under the raging Japanese sun, when others like Roger Federer have given the Games a wide berth. And that, says the Scot, is because the Olympics mean everything, as sport’s Holy Grail.
“I guess within tennis circles a Wimbledon title or whatever would be considered more important,” he said. “But in that wider sporting context, people that maybe don't follow tennis, don't know anything about tennis, I think pretty much everyone understands and knows what a gold medal is.
“And that the Olympics are for me the biggest sporting event out there. So winning medals at an Olympic Games is a huge achievement and something that I'm very, very proud of. They sit right there next to the Wimbledon titles.”
He was drawn against a familiar face in the first round of the singles on Thursday against ninth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime who ushered him out of last year’s US Open in the second round.
His doubles route is no simpler with Murray and partner Joe Salisbury set to open on Saturday against second-seeded French duo Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Murray said: "It's going to be hard. It's not easy draws in either. But if you want to win medals, you're going to have to beat top players and because of my ranking and stuff, I have to play higher ranked players earlier in the tournament.
“So mentally, I've prepared for that. Obviously, if you can get through a top player early, that can open the draw a little bit. So, it's certainly not easy first-round matches but I can also win those matches as well. So let's see what happens."
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