Sports Nicknames - Muzza

Sir Andy Murray is the most successful British tennis player and the only one in the history of the sport to win two Olympic Gold Medals in the Singles Category.



The British Muzza

Nicknames often are a slightly-tweaked version of a person's real name. This was the case with Andy Murray, who was called Muzza during his early years. There are various theories about him being called Muzza. In different cultures, it has got different but interesting interpretations. In a more orthodox Arabic Culture, Muzza is used to refer to a young and beautiful woman. On the other hand, in the Aussie culture, the tag is used to refer to a young man, a fashion victim from the suburbs of Melbourne.

Regardless of the back story, what we know with certainty is that Murray was called Muzza. The nickname got global attention when a fan had it written over a poster in one of the Wimbledon Matches.


A more Prestigious Title - 'Sir Andy Murray'

Murray's title changed in the year 2017, when he was knighted for bringing back the lost tennis glories to England. At the age of 29, he became the UK's youngest Knight. This also made him the recipient of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Now, its officially, 'Sir Andy Murray.'


Andy Murray's career profile and trajectory

Murray had to make his way through the most competitive era in tennis history. He started his professional career when both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were two established greats of the game. Nadal was the King of Clay, while Federer had the upper hand on the grass. No one else really challenged their supremacy. Murray had a bright and promising start to his career that earned him a spot in the top-10 list of the ATP rankings in 2007. By 2010, Murray had become a major force in the tennis world, but the world of the Big 3 (Djokovic had entered the fight by now) still evaded him.

One can call Murray particularly unlucky that he was born in the era of geniuses. He surely would have had more titles had the Big 3 not shut the door for the rest of the world. He played in the two back-to-back finals of the Australian Open in 2010 and 2011. He lost to Federer in 2010 and Djokovic in 2011. Though he had beaten the big 3 on separate occasions, he was yet to win his first major grand slam title.


The glory of the Gold

In 2012, he represented England at the London Olympics and came out victorious by winning the Gold against Roger Federer. He was not done with his wonders for the year. He competed at the 2012 US Open, where he faced Novak Djokovic in one of the most competitive finals in the event's history. The game featured the longest tie break in the competition's history which Murray won by 12-10.


The only man to beat Djokovic in a Wimbledon Final

At the start of 2013, he lost another Australian Open final against Djokovic in the year. But, by now, the world had started counting him in the Big 4 league. At the 2013 Wimbledon Final, the two stars of the tennis world faced each other again. But, on this occasion, it was Murray who prevailed and became the first British winner of the Men's Singles Title since 1936.


2016 - The Year Murray owned like a King

2016 was the most successful year for Murray when he won his second Wimbledon title and second Olympic Gold Medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He had beaten Raonic in the Wimbledon Final while edged past Juan Martin del Potro in the Olympics final. This made him the only player in the history of tennis to win two Olympic Gold Medals in the Singles Category. If there was one year that belonged to Murray, it was 2016. He finished the year as the number-1 ranked tennis player. However, he faced some serious injury issues during 2017-18 and soon fell out of contention.

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