Andy Murray has jumped to the defence of his fellow female tennis stars, Serena and Venus Williams. The Olympic champion took home gold at the men's single tennis finals at Rio on Sunday, and was speaking to the BBC's John Inverdale shortly after his triumph.
The veteran reporter told Andy: "You're the first person ever to win two Olympic tennis gold medals. That's an extraordinary feat, isn't it?"
The Scotsman politely corrected him, saying: "Well, to defend the singles title... I think Venus and Serena have won about four each but hadn't defended a singles title before."
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"I think Venus and Serena have won about four each," Andy quipped
The tennis ace, who defeated Argentina's Juan Martín del Potro after a gruelling four-hour match, added: "I mean it's obviously not an easy thing to do. I had to fight unbelievably hard to get it tonight as well. Yeah, I'll enjoy this one."
Andy's comment won praise from his fans, with many taking to social media. Scotland's First Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted, "Yet another reason to love Andy Murray..." while Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling posted: "As if we needed more reasons to worship @andy_murray: he just reminded John Inverdale that women are people, too."
Andy, 29, is a known feminist and has previously blogged about the subject in L'Equipe. It came as a reaction to the "criticism and prejudice" that his former female coach Amélie Mauresmo has endured.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe tennis star has said that he is a feminist
"The staggering thing was that she was slated every time I lost, which is something my former coaches never, ever experienced," wrote Andy last year. "It wasn't right. I got off to a bad start last season and things have only got better since Amélie arrived. I was ranked 11th in September 2014, I'm now ranked third – it speaks for itself.
"They say I was plucky choosing Amélie but, truth be told, if anyone was plucky it was Amélie – she's the one who's taken the heat. Her competence was always under fire. I felt embarrassed."
The dad-of-one, who welcomed a daughter Sophia with his wife Kim in February, concluded: "Have I become a feminist? Well, if being a feminist is about fighting so that a woman is treated like a man then yes, I suppose I have. My upbringing means that I'm quite attuned to the whole thing. I came to tennis thanks to my mother. I always had a very close relationship with my grandmothers."
