flag of convenience
I have a problem with Andy Murray. And it’s the same I had with Greg Rusedski and Kevin Pietersen and Allan Lamb and Tony Greig. Is he Scottish or is he British? Were they Canadian, South African, Rhodesian or what? And the worst culprit? Undoubtedly squash’s very own Peter Nichol. Top boy that he was and is, how could he do what he did and expect to be taken seriously? Go read up on it if you have no idea what I’m referring to. I just don’t buy the ancestral bit. You are what you are and you can only be from one place, there’s only one home country.
Yes, it may certainly bolster our own Nation’s sporting prowess and international ranking, not to mention their own bank balances, but it doesn’t make it right. What exactly was wrong with playing and representing SA, Kevin? We need to bite the bullet and potentially accept our lowly position that this flag of convenience distorts. Heaven forbid that we’re actually able to develop home-grown talent through wise coaching and a sensible spend?
OK, I do accept Andy Murray’s British so maybe it’s his surliness, his demeanour and the fact that, being British, I love the underdog and place more upon the manner of competition as opposed to the result. Only a few short weeks ago he was again being lauded as the next big thing. Federer was past it and Nadal’s knees meant he could never adapt to the all-weather courts of Flushing Meadow. Now he finds himself condemned to be ‘the best player of his generation never to have won a grand slam’. Murray’s recent third round defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka (who?), a Swiss ranked 27 in the world, was his worst performance in more than two years. Once again his body let him down…or was it his mind? I reckon Federer and Nadal know they’ve they got the beating of him, and so does our Andy.
