Andy Murray is forever championing women’s equality - and we love him for it.
Just last month, the tennis star called out casual sexism at Wimbledon when an American journalist completely bypassed the achievements of female tennis players in the sport.
Now, he’s opened up about the inexcusable treatment women - particularly tennis coaches - receive in his industry.
Murray said when he first announced he’d be working with female coach Amélie Mauresmo (who trained with him for two years), the response was far from pleasant.
He told ELLE magazine: “I got a message from one of the players who is now coaching. He said to me: ‘I love this game that you’re playing with the press, maybe you should tell them tomorrow that you’re considering working with a dog.’
“The amount of criticism she got in comparison to any other coach I’ve ever worked with—it’s not comparable at all. Now, when I lose a match, I get the blame. When I was working with her, it was always her fault.”
The 30-year-old is fed up of sexism in the sport and, to be honest, he doesn’t really understand why these attitudes exist in the first place - especially when tennis is one of the only sports where the male and female game and earnings are comparable. Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic are two of the highest paid athletes in the world, according to Market Watch.
Murray grew up with his mum Judy as a coach and credits much of his success to female influences.
He said some male tennis players still say female coaches “can’t understand” the men’s game.
His argument is: “But then how can a man understand the women’s game?”
This interview ran in ELLE’s September issue.