Andy Murray, unlike Atlas, endures the burden of holding up all around him with a sense of joy rather than resignation and he embarks on his third Olympian task here on Sunday with every expectation of leading Great Britain towards a healthy medal haul.
If winning another gold was not a big enough challenge Murray also has been asked to carry the flag and lead the 55 British athletes who have committed to marching in the opening ceremony at the Maracanã Stadium on Friday night.
“It’s by far the proudest moment of my professional career,” he said on Thursday night. “It’s inspiring.” Murray said he would try to carry the flag one-handed as his fellow Scot and six-times gold medallist, Sir Chris Hoy, suggested he do. “I’ll give it a go, left-handed,” Murray said.
He is due to start mid-morning UK time Sunday against the Serb who will give him least trouble, Viktor Troicki. Murray has beaten the world No35 seven out of seven, most recently in straight sets at Queen’s in 2015, and is not due to face his perennial nemesis, Novak Djokovic, until the final. The world No1 has a tougher start: against the recovering Argentinian, Juan Martín del Potro.
However, as committed as Murray is to the cause, he expressed mild disappointment after the draw that he and Djokovic stand alone among the elite who have bothered to come. Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, newly installed at No4 in the ATP world rankings due to the inactivity of Rafael Nadal (who returns here), are injured – but there is nothing physically wrong with Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic or Dominic Thiem, top-10ers who convinced themselves the Zika virus was a threat too far.
“The injuries don’t help,” Murray said. “Roger and Stan, if they were both here, that would be everyone who’d won a grand slam in the past 10 years or so. Some people have different concerns about coming here, some to do with Zika.
“It’s unfortunate. The Olympics in London was very strong. It’s a little bit weaker this time around. Everyone views this differently. For me the Olympics is the biggest event by far.”
Asked about sacrificing ranking points to be in Rio, he said, “This year the schedule is tough for players with the French, Wimbledon and the Olympics coming so close. I needed to take a break after Wimbledon. I hadn’t played a match on hard courts for four months. This is my priority.
“I lost a few ranking points, but that’s fine. I’m willing to sacrifice that to do my best here.”
When Murray struck gold in London four years ago, his coach, Ivan Lendl, told him: “It’s as good as a major.” Within weeks he had won his breakthrough slam title at Flushing Meadows. In 2016, matured and near his peak, the world No2 has made defending his title here a priority and goes into the tournament buoyed by winning his third slam title and second at Wimbledon.
He and Laura Robson – missing in Rio after a long fight against injury – won silver in the mixed doubles in 2012 and the best chance for a second tennis medal in Rio predictably lies again with Murray, who is in the doubles with his brother, Jamie. They start against the Brazilians Thomaz Bellucci and André Sá.
“They’re of equal priority,” he said of his two tasks. “Getting an opportunity to play another Olympics with Jamie means a lot to both of us. Both events are as big as each other for me.”
Jamie Murray added: “It’s going to be tough. I’m sure the crowd will be pretty lively. As for Andy carrying the flag in the opening ceremony, he is one of the great athletes of our country and I think it’s fully deserved.
“We know how much dedication he has put in over the years.”
The younger Murray said of the honour bestowed on him this week: “Tuesday night I was going to sleep, 11.15, and Ian [Bates, Great Britain’s tennis squad leader] came and said, ‘The chef de mission would like to speak to you.’ I realised what it was about, got changed, went downstairs, had a brief chat and he gave me some reasons.
“I was speechless. It was pretty emotional. I felt proud and humble. I just kept repeating myself. I wasn’t expecting it, genuinely. It’s a big responsibility. I hope I can perform well over the next nine or 10 days.”
The British No1, Jo Konta, seeded 10th here, will be a strong contender in the women’s singles. Her first match could hardly be easier: against the world No290, Stephanie Vogt of Liechtenstein. Heather Watson will face China’s Peng Shuai.
Watson, who has always treasured the Olympic experience, said of the absentees: “I still feel the same way. I made this a big goal of mine. It’s one of the biggest sporting events in the world and I always wanted to be part of it.
“It only happens once every four years. You don’t get to represent your country that often in tennis.”
