"Has more compassion and integrity in his thumbnail than this tired old hack" - Tennis fans slam journalist for labeling Andy Murray a 'sporting bore'

Tennis fans have not taken kindly to Andy Murray being labeled a "sporting bore" by a journalist for expressing his support for the Just Stop Oil protestors' cause.

Murray suffered a second-round exit at the ongoing 2023 Wimbledon Championships. The former World No. 1 started his campaign with a dominant 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 win over fellow Brit Ryan Peniston.

However, he was unable to progress further as he lost his second-round clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas, with the Greek claiming a 7-6(3), 6-7(2), 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 victory.

On Wednesday, British journalist Julie Burchill penned an opinion piece for 'The Spectator,' titled 'Andy Murray and the unstoppable rise of the sporting bores.'

Referring to the Brit as having joined football legend Gary Lineker and Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton in the brigade of the "Schlock Jocks" or "Poppycock Jocks," Burchill took issue with Murray asserting his support for the Just Stop Oil activists' cause.

"I mean, I agree with the cause – just not always how they go about expressing it. Rather than running on the court, maybe they could do it a different way," Murray had said in the lead-up to Wimbledon.

A fan shared an image of the headline of the article and defended Murray against the accusation by recalling the Brit's survival of the 1996 Dunblane school massacre.

"Andy Murray was a 9-years-old when a man burst into his school and killed 16 of his schoolmates. He had to hide to survive. He’s now a three-time Grand Slam winner and two-time Wimbledon champion. What’s boring? Julie Burchill survived writing for the NME and years of cocaine," the fan tweeted.

Another fan lauded the three-time Grand Slam champion's compassion and integrity.

"Andy Murray has more compassion and integrity in his left thumbnail than this tired old hack could ever conceive of experiencing," the fan commented.

Here are a few more fan reactions:

How Andy Murray's defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon 2023 played out

Andy Murray exits Wimbledon 2023

On Thursday, Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas' second-round clash at Wimbledon 2023 commenced in thrilling fashion, with the Greek narrowly edging out Murray in the opening set tiebreak.

However, the Brit remained unfazed as he claimed the second and third sets before the match was suspended in accordance with the 11 pm curfew.

When play resumed on Friday, Tsitsipas delivered a clinical performance to equal the scores and force a decider. He broke Murray's serve early to take control of the fifth set before recording a hard-fought 7-6(3), 6-7(2), 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 win.

Following his win over Andy Murray, Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Laslo Djere 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-4 to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon for the second time in his career.

The Greek will be up against Christopher Eubanks on Monday for a spot in the quarterfinals.