Heather Watson Claims Her Success Came After Murray’s Olympic Snub

Written by: Staff on 22nd October 2012

Heather Watson Claims Her Success Came After Murray’s Olympic Snub

epa03371363 Heather Watson of Great Britain hits a return to Na Li of China on the first day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 27 August 2012. The US Open runs through Sunday 09 September 2012. EPA/LARRY W. SMITH |

Heather Watson, Britain’s first WTA title winner in 24 years and now a fully fledged member of the women’s top 50 has revealed for the first time that the Olympic snub she suffered at the hands of Andy Murray, provided her with the impetus to prove herself better than friend, compatriot but rival Laura Robson.

Olympic men’s singles gold medalist Murray chose Robson as his mixed doubles partner rather than Watson, regardless of the fact the Channel Islander possessed a higher ranking and just a couple of weeks earlier had won a WTA doubles title in Stanford.

“I was extremely disappointed,” admitted 20 year-old Watson who last week won the HP Japan Open in Osaka. “Who wouldn’t have been in my position when it was a matter of playing in the Olympic Games at Wimbledon in front of the British fans?”

The fact that Murray’s mother Judy is Britain’s Fed Cup captain, and therefore determined to maintain good relations with both her key players, might have further complicated the situation. But Watson continued: “It was Andy’s decision and they ended up getting a silver medal for the country, which is fine.

“I would have loved to be a part of all that and I cannot deny the feeling stuck with me for a while. I didn’t watch their final; I was busy doing other things. But I think the experience made me stronger and push much harder to succeed.”

Prior to the start of the Olympic tennis on July 28, Watson stood at 67th place on the WTA singles rankings and 76th on the doubles compared to Robson who was 96th ranked singles player and 278th at doubles. Now Watson is the holder of two doubles titles on the main tour, having added the Dallas title to that she won in Stanford, California and an hour after winning her singles trophy in Osaka, had to accept second best in the doubles final.

“Now I always look to see how Laura is doing and if she does well, then I want to do better,” said Watson who this week also won the pair’s race to get into the world’s top 50, pipping Robson by two places.

“The other week, after she got to the singles final in Guangzhou and didn’t win, I knew I had a chance. When I arrived in Osaka I just felt I had a great chance to get to the final and having done that, and knowing Laura had lost her final, I just wanted to win so bad. The feeling of doing it first is just so good.”

To date the pair have never met competitively on the WTA circuit and have played only once on the lower tiers of women’s tennis, in an AEGON GB Pro-Series Barnstaple, Devon exactly a year ago when Robson, 20 months the junior, won 6-1,3-6,6-3. Watson is insistent that off the court she and Robson can maintain a friendship and when they represent Britain at Fed Cup they will present a united front.

Only last week at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, Murray maintained he had to downscale his long-term friendship with Novak Djokovic with the pair now involved in a series of finals at the very highest level. Watson took note but added: “When it comes to the court and we’re competitive, we aren’t going to be friends when we play but I don’t see any reason why the relationship cannot resume as soon as we walk off. We both have other sets of friends on the tour and we are not going out to dinner with each other all the time.”

Those well versed with the British situation feel the situation is totally healthy. Henman’s numerous differences with Rusedski were well chronicled during their rivalry that stretched more than ten years but despite a level of aversion that Watson and Robson will hopefully never face, the pair still managed to present a unified front in service of their country at Davis Cup.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Andy Murray, British tennis news, Heather Watson, Laura Robson, Sports, Tennis News, Wta