Andy Murray is among the best British sportspeople of all time, having reached stunning heights in his tennis career.
Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion, having also heartbreakingly lost eight Grand Slam finals throughout his career.
Moreover, the Scot climbed to number one in the ATP Tour rankings, with three Olympic medals also among his honors.
Murray claimed the gold medal in singles and the silver medal in doubles at London 2012, and successfully defended the former at Rio 2016.
Andy Murray was ‘very honored’ to carry the Great Britain flag at the 2016 Olympics
The tennis star was indeed the man tasked with carrying the Great Britain flag into the Maracana that year, a scenario he discussed after his win.
When asked what that meant to him and indeed what it meant having the flag raised following his success, Murray said: “It means a lot.
“Obviously, getting to carry the flag at the opening ceremony was an amazing experience. I was very honored to get the opportunity to do that.
“I found that quite emotional, as well. The day after I found out, the day I did it as well, I had to sort of kind of regroup and get my mind on the matches.
“So to finish it with a match like that, as well, obviously I was very emotional at the end. It’s been a buildup of emotions over the last 10 days or so. Just very happy that I got over the line tonight.”
He claimed the gold with a hard-fought win over Juan Martin del Potro, defeating the Argentine 7‑5, 4‑6, 6‑2, 7‑5.
If Andy Murray thought back-to-back Olympic gold medals was his biggest achievement
It was a fantastic year in general for Murray, who had only just won the title at Wimbledon before taking on the Olympics.
He defeated Milos Raonic for his second success at the All England Club, and his third career Grand Slam title.
Back in Brazil, however, Murray was tasked with comparing his career feats, having been asked if his back-to-back Wimbledon triumphs was the biggest achievement of his career.
He said: “I don’t know, to be honest. I’m really happy, obviously, that I won tonight. I don’t know. It’s not really for me to say. I can’t really answer it just now either.
“I know tonight’s one of the hardest matches that I’ve had to play for a big, big title. I think, you know, the US Open final I played against Novak [Djokovic] when I won my first slam was very hard.
“But tonight I found really difficult. You know, emotionally it was tough. Physically, it was hard. There were so many ups and downs in the match. It was one of the toughest matches that I’ve played to win a big event, for sure.”
Murray’s glorious career fittingly came to an end at the Olympics, with the Scottish legend retiring after Paris 2024.
READ MORE: The ‘amazing’ athlete Andy Murray found ‘incredible’ to watch at London 2012
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