Britain has long believed in formally awarding its’ sporting champions and Olympic and US Open champion Andy Murray is no exception after being awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honors List.
Murray, currently in Queensland, Australia where is preparing to defend the Brisbane International title, used his own website to say: “It is with incredible pride that I have been named in the New Year’s Honors List to receive an OBE from Her Majesty the Queen for services to sport.”
“This has been an amazing year for British sport and I am proud to have been able to play my part. I reached my first Wimbledon final, competed and won gold at the London 2012 Olympics with Team GB at Wimbledon, and then won my first grand slam title at the US Open.”
Two of Murray’s fellow British Olympic gold medalists, Tour de France winning cyclist Bradley Wiggins and Ben Ainslie, who became the first person to win medals in five different Olympic Games in sailing, were awarded knighthoods.
Murray is likely to follow suit if he becomes the first British player to win Wimbledon’s men’s singles title since 1936 but for the time being he more than satisfied with the OBE and said: “Being recognized in such a way at the end of such a great season is the finishing touch on 2012. Thank you all for your support, I hope everyone has a very happy New Year…..and here’s to 2013!”
©Daily Tennis News Wire
Topics: Andy Murray, British tennis news, Order of the British Empire, Queen Elizabeth, Sports, tennis award, Tennis News