Andy Murray regrets sharing opinion on independence
Ahead of his first match at the Shenzhen Open, Andy Murray has spoken about his opinions on the referendum for Scottish Independence for the first time. The referendum offered Scottish people a chance to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to becoming an independent nation and Murray gave his opinion on twitter the day before the vote.
Huge day for Scotland today! no campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. excited to see the outcome. lets do this!
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) September 18, 2014
With Murray such a significant sporting figure, not only in Scotland but across Great Britian, his backing for independence was met with strong opinions. He received a huge amount of anger from many of his English supporters who saw his stance as a betrayal.
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Murray has been extremely careful when voicing his opinion on similar matters over the years after his popularity is still plagued by an a remark he made in jest about “supporting anyone but England” at the World Cup in 2006. In reality it was a light hearted response to an interviewer asking if he though Scotland would do well, knowing full well they hadn’t qualified.
Murray’s take on the matter now is that he regrets the way he stated his opinion and that he wants to focus on his tennis:
"“I don’t regret giving an opinion. I think everyone should be allowed that. The way I did it wasn’t something I’d do again. It was a very emotional day for a lot of Scottish people… The way it was worded is not really in my character…”"
It’s a shame for Murray, who had built up home support after winning Wimbledon last year. He should be allowed to have an opinion, but being in the public sightlines is never easy.
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