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The best of Andy Murray: Photographers pick their favourite Murray moments
They say an image can speak a thousand words. Throughout the career of an elite athlete photos tell the story of years of hard work and dedication as well as capturing all the highs and lows that come with being at the top of the game.
In July this year, three-time Grand Slam champion and Great Britain’s greatest ever tennis player called time on a 19-year career that has been documented through the images of some of the most talented photographers.
In an Advantage exclusive, the team at Getty Images – Julian Finney, Clive Brunskill, Ezra Shaw and Dan Mullan – take you through their favourite photos and memories of the former world No.1 through the years.
Julian Finney
My journey capturing Andy began at the Aberdeen Cup. He had won the junior US Open and people were beginning to talk him up as a rising star in the sport. I was also new to the Getty Images team and trying to establish myself as a photographer. I have a love of football and tennis (once playing on the LTA junior circuit), so I wanted to stay in touch with sports as a photographer and continued to have a huge love for.
It was quite a small event up in Aberdeen with not many spectators nor media, but I did get a chance to grab Andy and Jamie for a quick photo. It was cold - they were wearing woolly hats and they nicely posed together in a family way…brotherly love!
One of my favourite photographs was taken during Andy’s Wimbledon win in 2013, when he climbed down from the coaches and family box. It was published as the wrap-around for The Times the next day. I was the only photographer to have shot the crowd in this way – the atmosphere perfectly summed up my experience.
He was being touched like a God on the way down from his family and support box. The sun was shining down on the packed centre court – Andy was the British nation’s hope for a Grand Slam champion after 77 years and he delivered.
He wasn’t a show off in the big moments of his career, but thanked people close to him who he knew and trusted the most. I can only imagine this was going through his mind when he won Wimbledon for the first time.
2016 was the same year he’d won his second Olympic Gold - this time in Rio, Brazil. I wanted to convey through my photography that it was a historic moment.
No man had ever won back-to-back Olympic singles titles, so I allowed for the rings in the shot to help place it in his story.
Clive Brunskill
One of my favourite memories of Andy was him winning the singles gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games. This was after he lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon three weeks earlier, ending with the now famous Sue Barker emotional interview after collecting his runners up trophy.
That was one of Andy’s career changing moments as the public saw another side to him. From then on, he was a national sporting hero and picked himself up mentally for the Olympic final against Roger Federer with a fine victory on that super-hot summer’s afternoon on the lawns of SW19. I will never forget that day seeing Andy in prime position on the podium.
In New York on 10 September 2012 Andy ended Britain’s wait for a Grand Slam champion at the US Open. He did a celebration in the far corner from us British tennis photographers. All I was thinking was, a Brit has finally won a Grand Slam.
This is probably my favourite moment in Andy’s career that I captured, topped off by getting the exclusive of Andy and girlfriend (now wife) Kim Sears with the trophy in a non-floodlit Arthur Ash stadium at like 2:30am.
I was the last person to leave along with Andy and Kim.
The final shot is in Gent, Belgium 29 November 2015 when Andy helped win the Davis Cup for Great Britain. My thoughts before his match, which he had to win against David Goffin of Belgium, was again - what will Andy and the whole team do if he wins?
There is a lot of pressure as a photographer to capture the winning moment. I had been travelling with the British team for the last two years and you could see them getting closer and closer to the trophy.
So, match point arrives, and Andy wins it on an overhead lob. He falls on his side in the near corner to me and the team all race out. I got the initial photographs before he was smothered. Luckily the team surrounded him as he got up off the floor and lifted him up. The image that I captured at that moment was the image that made all the front pages - Andy screaming with joy as he looked up.
It was another amazing Andy Murray inspired victory, not forgetting his brother Jaime, who helped the team to victory in what became the all-important doubles tie.
Ezra Shaw
This shot was taken from the catwalk in Rod Laver Arena. I remember being position right above the service line, and I waited until Andy lunged for the ball to take this picture.
It was great that it was racing right of the Melbourne logo to add to the image.
Dan Mullan
This tournament in Paris is where Andy first became World No.1 after defeating John Isner in the final.
The tunnel where the players walk onto the court is always a great feature and makes for an interesting and different image to your average tennis picture. After Andy won the tournament I knew exactly where we should pose him for some pictures.
Hear from Clive and Julian on what it was like to photograph Andy Murray through the years