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[Sabine]

http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=andy%20murray&source=web&cd=4&sqi=2&ved=0CCwQqQIwAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailyrecord.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fscottish-news%2Fandy-murray-set-to-be-given-the-freedom-1384450&ei=hyyAUPHlForsrAfKnoGgCQ&usg=AFQjCNEe3_eZqKKB9BolBk6zNCu3MWa_sg

[Aileen]

Great. Now Andy is free to roam Dunblane at will with Maggie, Rusty and any sheep

   But for those who want to know more about this ancient accolade -

"Who, What, Why: Does freedom of the city allow you to graze sheep?" - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19398288  

I'm really looking forward to the presentation of this honour, so I hope it'll be televised.

[Sabine]

Thanks dani. I love Lendl quotes. A strong, non-nonsense, intelligent man with a sense of humour.

That is the apt way to describe Lendl....

[*Sparkle*]

I wonder if his post US open press day where he was doing interviews and photo shoots made him think that in small doses it's not so bad to be in the limelight.

I think the interviews after the US Open, which were also his first proper stab at general press after the Olympics win, would have felt very different to the general media/showbiz stuff done in the past.  I think in his mind, there was always a sense of not quite having earned it.

He didn't have to wait for someone to ask "so when are you going to win a slam?", which is the sort of thing he'd be asked straight after a brilliant victory in a Masters.  He could be confident that most journalists were more interested in talking about his achievements, not his personal life, or gripes about being too negative or whatever.

I'm sure he still felt a bit silly doing some of the stuff they had him do, but even if he did think that getting piped into the British Consulate was a bit much, he could comfort himself with the fact that he had in fact just won the US Open, so it was OK to indulge these things.

Just as he didn't like to get ahead of himself by holding the big trophies before he'd won it for himself, he didn't want to get too comfortable with the showbiz style adulation until he'd achieved something more substantial.

He's not going to turn into Mr Showbiz any time soon (thank goodness), and I think he'll always be far more comfortable talking to the dedicated tennis and sports journalists, but I get a sense that it has helped to feel more relaxed about the whole process.

I also get the feeling that thanks to the Olympics more than the US Open, editors will expect their writers to be kinder.  I loved that his two big wins this year gave the tennis writers that know Andy best the chance to write about how much they like and respect him as a person, and that certain people got it wrong.   Tabloids will continue to be tabloids, but this Summer's bundle of positive coverage was the first pause for thought for some, and that sticks.

[flowerpower]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andy-Murray-Champion-Extraordinary-Story/dp/1471126528/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350641821&sr=1-1

[scotnadian]

We all know the story already tho', don't we?
And the great thing is there's no end of the story in sight. 

[xxdanixx]

Me too!Thanks for letting us know about it,flowerpower!

You know who I'd really love to write a book on Andy someday?Kevin Mitchell,from the Guardian.I've no idea if he's ever written a book,or if he ever would,but he's a fantastic writer,and I really love the way he writes about Andy-not just that he admires him,but that he really seems to understand him in a way that many-most?-of the press who cover Andy don't (or perhaps haven't bothered to).