Andy Murray with the Rogers Cup. Photograph by John W. Nguyen.
Andy Murray, the No. 3-ranked tennis player, wed longtime love, animal artist Kim Sears, April 11 in a ceremony that apparently had the feel of a small-town royal wedding.
Scores of Dunblane residents and reporters braved the Scottish weather (“oh, the wind and rain,” as the folk song goes) to catch a glimpse of the bride and groom – she resplendent in a Jenny Peckham gown with a sweetheart neckline and crystal-beaded bodice and half-sleeves (is there anything more flattering than half-sleeves?) that showed off her figure; he equally dandy in a blue and green kilt. (Male tennis players: To paraphrase another song, ZZ Top’s “Legs,” “They’ve got legs. They know how to use them.”)
The wedding – which took place in Dunblane Cathedral with a reception following at Cromlix House Hotel, which Andy owns – was in marked contrast to last summer’s seaside nuptials for Novak Djokovic and his longtime love, Jelena Ristic. That was a private affair in Montenegro with coverage appearing afterward exclusively in HELLO! magazine, which paid a pretty shilling for the rights. (The money went to the Novak Djokovic Foundation.)
Whereas Andy and Kim just let it rip, and so the day had the feel of a hometown party in which everyone could participate.
"Absolutely fabulous to see them today, especially Andy coming back to his hometown," said one lady in the crowd.
“He's a hero. He's done something that all local boys would really strive to do. He's a superstar," added another.
Say what you want about Andy – and much has been said about his on-court meltdowns and sullen soliloquys that have made him a cross between John McEnroe and Hamlet. (Remember the time he was playing Nole at the Australian Open and got distracted by a feather in a “Forrest Gump” moment? Then there was another time – also Nole, also Aussie Open – when he had to battle foot blisters. As the late, lamented Gilda Radner’s character Emily Litella used to say on “Saturday Night Live,” “It’s always something.”
But for one day, it wasn’t always something. It wasn’t about errant feathers or pesky foot blisters or raging self-doubt or the challenge of a rival. It was about another kind of love and sharing it not only with your bride but with the place to which you belong and which belongs to you.
So good on, Andy and Kim, and all the best.