Murray is officially starting his retirement with a family vacation in Spain, twenty years after making his mark on the world stage with a US Open boys’ title.
Murray is not involved in the tennis that is taking place. Getting used to this will take some time.
In a moment of reflection, Murray would smile back with envy at his 17-year-old self, the child who, in his own estimation, was “nowhere near as good” as Tim Henman but was possibly already the best tennis player to have come out of Scotland. The hip-healthy boy with a bright future.
The boy who was enamored with New York City.
How he wished he could do it all again.
Murray realized he would really like to come to Flushing Meadows to see the 2003 US Open women’s final, an all-Belgian match played on Arthur Ashe Stadium between Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, while he was seated courtside.
“The atmosphere and everything that goes with the center court here kind of suits my personality a bit more than Wimbledon,” said Murray after the match.
And on Sunday, September 12, 2004, Murray experienced his first taste of Grand Slam success at Flushing Meadows.
A few hundred people watched him defeat Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4 6-2 to become the junior champion on a small outdoor court.
