The tennis world has rallied around British legend Andy Murray after he made an emotional and deeply personal confession about a traumatic experience from his childhood. His revelation has sparked a wave of empathy from fans, fellow athletes, and commentators across the globe.
Andy Murray has said playing tennis was an “escape” for him after being among the pupils at Dunblane Primary School during the shooting in 1996.
Along with his brother Jamie, Andy was at the school when Thomas Hamilton entered the gym hall and killed 16 children and a teacher, before shooting himself. The tennis star has since spoken about the impact the event had on him, which was also influenced by his family knowing Hamilton and Murray having attended a kids’ club that he ran.
During the Amazon Prime documentary Andy Murray: Resurfacing in 2019, the two-time Wimbledon champion explained how playing tennis had become an “escape” for him during his childhood. He told the film-maker: “You asked me a while ago why tennis was important to me. I had the thing that happened at Dunblane, when I was around nine.
“I am sure for all the kids there it would be difficult for different reasons. The fact we knew the guy, we went to his kids’ club, he had been in our car, we had driven and dropped him off at train stations and things.”
He continued: “Within 12 months of that happening, our parents got divorced. It was a difficult time. To see that and not quite understand what is going on.
“And then six to 12 months after that, my brother also moved away from home. He went away to train to play tennis. We obviously used to do everything together. When he moved away that was also quite hard for me.”
Sir Andy said that around that time and after that, for a year or so, he had “lots of anxiety that came out when I was playing tennis”. He added: “My feeling towards tennis is that it’s an escape for me in some ways because all of these things are stuff that I have bottled up.”
Since Sir Andy has retained close roots to Dunblane, with the tennis star last year becoming an official patron for charity set up in the aftermath of the shooting. The Dunblane Centre, which acts as a community space for all ages, was opened up in memory of those affected by the massacre after receiving donations from across the world.
Speaking last year, Sir Andy said: “The Dunblane Centre is a central part of the community here in Dunblane and the work they do is so important for local people.
“I think community centres like this one are becoming more and more essential, particularly for kids who need spaces where they can try new things and meet new people. I’m proud to be joining the team and look forward to adding my support in the coming years.”
