Wimbledon Champ Andy Murray Invited To Tea With The Prime Minister

Written by: Staff on 9th July 2013

Wimbledon Champ Andy Murray Invited To Tea With The Prime Minister

epa03780883 Wimbledon men's singles champion, Briton Andy Murray, leaves a reception at Number 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 08 July 2013. Andy Murray won the Men's Singles Championship at Wimbledon on 07 July 2013. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA |

In the past American Grand Slam tennis champions have been honored at the White House and Russians afforded hero or heroine status at the Kremlin. So it was fitting Wimbledon chairman Andy Murray would be taken to tea at Downing Street as British Prime Minister David Cameron insisted the 26 year-old Scot should be awarded a Knighthood.

Cameron, a committed tennis player himself, who was sitting in the front row of Centre Court’s Royal Box on Sunday to watch Murray become the first Briton to win the men’s singles title for 77 years.

The Prime Minister said yesterday: “Honors are decided independently but, frankly, I can’t think of anyone who deserves one more. I think he lifted the spirits of the whole country. We were wondering yesterday morning, ‘Do we dare to dream that this is possible?’ and he proved absolutely that it was.”

Murray was also joined by the Leader of the Opposition, Labor Party leader Ed Milliband, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Angus Robertson, the Scottish National Party’s leader in Westminster. But there was no invitation to Downing Street for Alex Salmond, First Minister for Scotland who leads to campaign for Scottish independence from the British government and controversially unfurled the Cross of St Andrew flag or Saltire behind Cameron’s head during the victory celebrations in the Royal Box on Sunday.

Salmond insisted he was only showing support for Murray and said: “I think a rule more observed in its breaking than its observation. But can I just point out, the All England Club didn’t mind in the slightest, they’re really nice people, and if the All England Club didn’t mind, I really don’t think anybody else should either.”

Murray was appointed an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the 2013 New Year’s Honors List for services to tennis after winning the Olympic and US Open titles last summer, and normally it would be expected that he would have to wait at least four years before receiving a higher honor.

The Cabinet Office said that it usually took 18 months to consider a nomination for honors. They can, however, be processed more quickly, particularly following a significant sporting victory.

Track cyclist Chris Hoy was knighted in the 2009 Honours List after winning three gold medals in the Beijing Olympics, and Bradley Wiggins was knighted after winning the Tour de France and then gold at the London Olympics last summer.

Nominations for honors can be made either by members of the public or by a government department that has identified a candidate who is “doing good work within its sphere of interest”.

The committee is chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the organizing committee of the London Olympics, and includes Tim Phillips, the former chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Jonathan Stephens, the permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, also sits on the committee, and a representative from 10 Downing Street is invited to attend all meetings.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Andy Murray, British Prime Minister David Cameron, British tennis news, Tennis News, Wimbledon Championships

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10sBalls_com says:

July 9, 2013 at 9:27 am

Wimbledon Champ @andy_murray Invited To Tea With The Prime Minister – http://t.co/UyRMLsaFb7 @BritishTennis @Wimbledon
nutmeg237 says:

July 9, 2013 at 9:27 am

RT @10sBalls_com: Wimbledon Champ @andy_murray Invited To Tea With The Prime Minister – http://t.co/UyRMLsaFb7 @BritishTennis @Wimbledon
10sBalls.com says:

July 9, 2013 at 9:27 am

Wimbledon Champ Andy Murray Invited To Tea With The Prime Minister – https://archive.10sballs.com/?p=91123