Tim Henman Explains Why Andy Murray Is The GREATEST BritIsh Sportsperson EVER 👏 | talkSPORT

Andy Murray who's confirmed his withdrawal from the men's singles at this year's Paris Olympics he's a two-time gold medalist of course he's retiring from the sport after this year's games he's going to partner Dan Evans in the doubles as he bids to go out on a high with a fourth Olympic medal but last night he decided not to compete in the singles as well having also withdrawn at wimon from the singles having undergone surgery to remove a spinal cyst of course he's had so many issues with his body over the past five or six years the quot I've taken the decision to withdraw from the singles to concentrate on the doubles with Dan I think a lot of people will agree that that's a sensible decision to make and he went on to say our practice has been great we're playing well together really looking forward to getting started and representing GB one more time well let's have a word with a man who represented Great Britain with Distinction on a number of occasions over the years in both the Olympics and the Davis Cup a former British number one a former world number four and an Olympic silver medalist himself Tim Henman good morning to you Tim morning Marcus how are you extremely well delighted to see you um before we talk about Andy let's go back to 1996 it seems a long time ago now but you and Neil broad did the business when you look at your whole career how big a moment was that for you um I think in all honesty it's sort of got bigger and bigger as tennis in the Olympics has established itself more and more and and um you know certainly when I had the opportunity in 96 I was massively excited but I didn't necessarily grow up um thinking about playing tennis in the Olympics um I was a massive sports fan and um you know you reflecting uh 88 when it became a recognized sport you know I think the field was was okay but certainly not all the top players played in the event and then 92 in Barcelona 96 in um in Atlanta more and more play of the best players played in it and so now when you look at the um you know the players that have won Olympic gold in in both the men's and the women's singles it's um it's the best of the best so um I'm in you know incredibly proud of my Olympic silver medal and um you know I think in the context of you know Andy Murray's career I think 2012 in London um beating Federer on Center Court was uh was a huge Turning Point um for him to get a major title under his belt yeah and of course he then went and repeated that in 2016 do you think he's made the right decision not to play singles this time yeah I mean look he's one of the ultimate competitors and and um and so if there was a chance um of him playing singles you know that he would have taken that opportunity but in the context of you know having had surgery on his spine only you know weeks ago I think it's incredible that he got the opportunity of playing doubles at Wimbledon I think it's amazing that he's going to get the opportunity to you know play one last well hopefully more than one um you know match at the Olympics but uh um you know it's it's uh it just emphasizes uh how much he's put his body through over the years and and um I really hope that he can go out there and enjoy himself on the court with Dan Evans um representing Great Britain one last time yeah well Dan's a great character a great competitor do they have a realistic chance of coming back home with a medal yeah look I mean I I um I don't really know Andy's sort of level of Fitness I think um you know at Wimbledon when he played with Jamie he looked um you know a little bit restriced but I mean I think he still had stitches in his back so I don't think that's um a great surprise but if he's um you know if he's uh improved and moving a bit better then they certainly um you know have the ingredients of a great doubles team they both serve and volley well um you know they've got a good understanding they've got a good rapport um so look you know I think they've got a an opportunity but um uh you know whether they lose first round or um or or not um you know I just think it's great Andy's getting this opportunity and Tim I saw Andy last night posting a message saying that once he retires he's going to have two Ambitions he he wants to become a scratch golfer in other words he wants to follow in your footsteps really painful darl that that that Tim's I think a plus six or something like that and he he wants to become a good family man as well going back to the day that you finally called time on your career and of course you've been an excellent family man you already were a scratch golfer but how difficult is that for an individual how did you deal with that that transitional period look I I can only speak for myself and I absolutely loved it I had my Davis Cup uh the final match at Wimbledon against Croatia and um you know I won my singles on Friday playing with Andy and and then on in the doubles Jamie on the Saturday I hit a winner on Match Point and um we won three love and then you know the following week to return home and and uh my wife and I just had our our third daughter and and I was ready for the next chapter but I think um you know I had a lot of other interests I had uh my family I had a lot of golf that I wanted to play um I had other sort of business interests I got involved at Wimbledon so I had plenty of um of different things to to fill that void and and and I think Andy will have a massive amount of opportunities um you know I think he should take his time um but I can certainly understand if you don't have um different things to fill the void of being a professional sports person then then I think it can be very challenging but for me um you know I loved my tennis career and and um you know I've almost uh you know enjoyed uh this sort of second phase if you want to call it like that um equally as much Tim Dar here um we had a healthy debate yesterday about you know the greatest British sports people of all time um if you were to choose one who would it be oh one I mean it's I think it's virtually an impossible I get one I I'll go right now with the uh the sentiment in place I'll I'll go Andy Murray I think I'm I think I'm a little bit biased but um yeah I think uh it's very difficult to because I don't think you're comparing like with like with some of our greatest Olympians whether that's um uh you know Steve Redgrave or um or you know whoever it may be Laura tro Laura Kenny um I'm trying to think of them off the top of my head you know D stick with the one Bradley Wiggins um yeah I mean there are so many but uh I think in a you know in an individual Global Sport and you think of the competition um that Murray's been um you know up against it's phenomenal how well he's done you know in an era of federan Daran jovic um but you know you could look back and say well falo won six Majors that's um you know shouldn't be overlooked so look I think um I think it's virtually impossible to to narrow it down to one um but but uh you know in my mind you know Andy Murray's right up there in that conver ation Tim thank you very much I know you're a busy man you've got lots of meetings I I want you to know I voted for you yesterday because you made Murray's success possible liar yeah you never have know much about I appreciate it Jim White and Simon Jordan Monday to Friday mornings from 10: on a.m. on da by the talk sport app and on your smart speaker talk sport