Andy Murray Declares Davis Cup Future Amid Scottish Independence Tweet Abuse
Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 22
Andy Murray has confessed he regrets the manner in which he tweeted his support for Scottish independence ahead of the recent referendum.
Murray attracted a catalogue of Twitter abuse for his comments, and confessed to BBC China that, in retrospect, he might have acted differently:
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"It was a very emotional day for Scottish people and the whole country and the whole of the UK - it was a big day.
The way it was worded, the way I sent it, is not really in my character. I don't normally do stuff like that.
So, yeah, I was a bit disappointed by that. It's time to move on. I can't go back on that and I'll concentrate on my tennis for the next few months.
"
Original Text
Andy Murray has confirmed he will continue to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup, despite tweeting his support for the Yes campaign during Thursday's Scottish independence vote.
The Glasgow-born tennis star confirmed prior to news his countrymen had "overwhelmingly rejected" breaking away from the United Kingdom, reported by Simon Johnson of The Telegraph, that a result either way won't affect his commitment to the international tennis tournament.
"I will be playing for Great Britain in the Davis Cup next year, that is for sure," said Murray, reported by Mike Dickson of the Daily Mail. "As far as I'm concerned the vote doesn't change anything in that regard," he continued.
While 55 percent of referendum voters opted against independence, per Johnson, Murray previously appeared to highlight his allegiance with the losing campaign during Thursday's polls. He expressed his opinion via Twitter, despite not being able to vote due to his residency in England:
Murray's tweet unfortunately led to a flurry of online abuse being sent his way, with some detractors referring to 1996's Dunblane massacre, per BBC News. The tennis icon attended the school during the incident which saw a gunman shoot 16 children and their teacher.
Scottish police confirmed they will continue to monitor responses to Murray's comments, with assistant chief constable Bernard Higgins saying, "People who put abuse such as this online should be utterly ashamed of themselves for making such vile, disgusting and distasteful comments," reported by BBC News. "We are monitoring social media and where appropriate will take action against those involved."
Great Britain's next Davis Cup opponents have been confirmed as the United States of America, per Eleanor Crooks of the Press Association and via the Daily Mail. Murray was key to upsetting the favourites in February with two wins on clay, a team victory that qualified Britain for top-level competition next year.
Despite his leaning toward Scottish independence, Murray is likely to continue receiving major support when he does step out in front of English crowds. The USA rematch will take place between March 6-8, 2015, this time in Britain. Although there's little advantage when challenging a strong American side at home, Britain's chances of progress would be virtually non-existent without Murray leading the team.
Both his brother, Jamie, and Scottish doubles player Colin Fleming also confirmed their commitment to representing the union, noted by Crooks.
Although Murray's tweet may have swayed a few votes, Friday's voting results suggest Scotland's call for independence still remains quite some way off. Murray previously admitted he would represent Scotland at the Olympics if a breakaway had been secured, per Crooks, an occurrence that could have thrown up a serious grudge match against a British player somewhere down the line.
Ultimately, Murray's international future remains unchanged. This is certainly profitable news for Wimbledon goers who long to see him reclaim the British crown, and indeed, followers of the upcoming Davis Cup campaign.
British tennis is struggling to produce world-class stars as it is, so Murray's continued appearance under the Union Jack is a major boost for the union's profile and chances of success.
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