Updated: July 6, 2020 15:49:08
Andy Murray: Resurfacing is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
How much does it cost to injure a professional athlete at the height of his powers? In Andy Murray by Olivia Cappucini: Resurfacing, we hear Kim Murray mentioning how an athlete’s body is never his (or hers). Whether it’s the “nervous sponsors”, media owners who repeat the same questions hoping to get a different answer (will you be ready for Wimbledon? Will you retire?), Or the “experts” and their alternative healing methods, everyone has an interest acquired. Also, what about the psychological toll? There is always a nagging fear in world-class athletes every time they face an injury – What if this never heals? What if … is this? Life can be unfair. And there is a colossal disappointment lurking in the way some things turn out. Even more once you peeked through the window and saw that golden “forever after”. Something that stings even more if you are Andy Murray – the third violin of your generation.
Playing in the era of the three best tennis players who have ever played, it is miraculous to say the least that Murray expanded the top 3 to “Big four” through sheer perseverance. Playing with question marks throughout his career – Can he? He? – Murray has been a loser all his life. Compiled with his number four ranking, he was the burden of being the first British to win a slam after Fred Perry in 1936. While veteran British semifinalist Tim Henman appeared to be on the run during the 2000s, we saw Murray take a step forward closer. Fighting five semifinals and four final defeats, it was finally in 2012 that Murray overtook Djokovic to win his first US Open slam. By winning this shortly after an Olympic gold medal, Murray offered the most dominant performance of his career in 2013, where (again!) He beat Djokovic, becoming the first Briton to win Wimbledon in the open era. Self-esteem, pure tenacity to turn his dreams into reality: that day Murray seemed to be a sentient being at the center of the court. About three years later, at the end of 2016, it would even have been ranked at number 1. And then, the end would emerge … suddenly.
Arriving at the 2017 Wimbledon quarterfinals against Sam Querrey as defending champion, Andy Murray looked like a shadow of himself. With a two-set lead over the American, Murray nearly ran out in the past two sets, exiting the competition with a mysterious injury. When competing with the best, it is not uncommon to play through the occasional nervousness in the leg, the blister, the back pain. In a competition where the centimeters decide the games, resist everything with a serious face. This is probably an explanation of why Murray’s camp kept up with an “it’s all right” answer to all questions. But after that quarterfinal game, it was all open. Murray was limping off the pitch and the news about his bad hip could no longer be contained. Once this was discovered, many experts wrote it as Murray’s end of career. He probably would have recovered from it, but they said the return journey would be long and arduous. According to these “experts”, Murray would no longer be a contender at the highest levels. That’s right.
Andy Murray: Resurfacing is interesting in the way it looks at a high-level athlete in his most vulnerable aspect. Keeping up with a marmot-like physical rehabilitation routine, an exercise routine, operations, it can be difficult to be with a world-class athlete when he is not feeling at his best. “I have no joy at all for this,” Murray can be heard complaining to his trainer during a rehab session. The goal behind this difficulty is to be fit enough to get back on the field. After trying it a few times (albeit with little success), Murray’s breaking point arrives at the Citi Open against Marius Copil. Going through his third 3-hour game in as many days, Murray can barely resist the end of the game. It somehow prevailed over his opponent, but a profound accomplishment hit him. By exhibiting a momentary smile as he congratulates his opponent, Murray’s face immediately becomes pouting. Although it is thanking the crowd for their support, the dam is about to break down. Perhaps he will never return to the highest levels of professional tennis, without that stinging pain in his right side. He will no longer be able to compete in a sport he has loved since the age of three. There is no way to overcome this obstacle, even with the discipline of a champion. Murray sits down, hides his face in a towel … and cries. It’s a terrifying thing, given the countdown, when you have just begun to realize the true reach of your potential.
And it is here that Olivia Cappucini’s documentary does the unexpected. As tennis fans already know, there is no return story here. We won’t see Andy Murray avenge his physical limits and spiral shape. We know how it ends. Still, this is where the film remains curious about a champion’s work ethic even in the face of its almost certain decline. Murray knows there is only the slightest chance that he will return to competing as a single male player, let alone keeping up with the top 3. But try some alternative training methods with the reconditioning specialist, Bill Knowles. He even starts reading metal hip surgery from Bob Bryan, a double specialist, to help correct a similar condition. Murray proceeds with the surgery, giving himself a tiny chance to return, instead of living in pain. We are free to interpret the events as we see fit: a superstar athlete who climbs to cling to everything he can, or an athlete who does everything in his power to be considered a contender to be the best player in the world .. . again.
Murray’s career has been a series of challenges. Fighting the trauma of being a survivor of the Dunblane massacre (he rarely talks about it in public), finding refuge in tennis to face his parents’ divorce at the age of 10, he had no business in the same league as the Federer, Nadals & the Djokovics , like a 19 year old professional. Murray does not possess Federer’s art, Nadal’s brute force, nor Djokovic’s vast defense. Yet, by formulating his cheap and professional tennis style, Murray has made his way among his most talented opponents. He trained to be nothing but the best. His style on the field, or his way of behaving with fans and journalists, may not be the most fascinating. He may be far from the nicest player on the tour. But he seriously died when he says he wants to compete again.
Andy Murray picked up the men’s double to mark his return with a metal flank. The happy and content probably do not come with just the search for the right answer, but with the impulse to find the right answer, no matter how persistent it requires. You can be sure that he will lower his head and continue working to get back to the top. Nothing else matters.
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