ANDY Murray has insisted his Olympic titles are worth every bit as much as any of his Grand Slams as he prepares to pursue a golden hat-trick in Tokyo.
The 34-year-old, currently ranked 104th in the world, admits earning a third successive men’s singles crown following triumphs in London and Rio would be “probably my best achievement” after all the injuries and surgeries he has had to overcome.
But the former Wimbledon and US Open winner is putting himself on the line, under the raging Japanese sun, when others like Roger Federer have given the Games a wide berth. And that, says the Scot, is because the Olympics mean everything, as sport’s Holy Grail.
“I guess within tennis circles a Wimbledon title or whatever would be considered more important,” he said. “But in that wider sporting context, people that maybe don't follow tennis, don't know anything about tennis, I think pretty much everyone understands and knows what a gold medal is.
“And that the Olympics are for me the biggest sporting event out there. So winning medals at an Olympic Games is a huge achievement and something that I'm very, very proud of. They sit right there next to the Wimbledon titles.”
He was drawn against a familiar face in the first round of the singles on Thursday against ninth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime who ushered him out of last year’s US Open in the second round.
His doubles route is no simpler with Murray and partner Joe Salisbury set to open on Saturday against second-seeded French duo Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Murray said: "It's going to be hard. It's not easy draws in either. But if you want to win medals, you're going to have to beat top players and because of my ranking and stuff, I have to play higher ranked players earlier in the tournament.
“So mentally, I've prepared for that. Obviously, if you can get through a top player early, that can open the draw a little bit. So, it's certainly not easy first-round matches but I can also win those matches as well. So let's see what happens."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here