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Andy Murray's heroics at the on-going 2023 Australian Open are likely to stay imprinted in the minds of tennis fans for a long time to come. Despite two brilliant five-set wins in the first two rounds, the dad-of-four exited in the third round at the hands of Roberto Bautista Agut and has already returned to be with his family.
The former World No. 1 married his long-time girlfriend Kim Sears in 2015. The adorable couple welcomed four children together, with their youngest born in 2021. Meanwhile, their oldest child, daughter Sophia, is six-years-old.
Having resumed his parenting duties after his return from Australia, Andy Murray shared an interesting update about his oldest child with fans on social media. The three-time Grand Slam champion revealed that the six-year-old asked him to tone down his affection and wanted nothing to do with him once he dropped her off at school, joking that it was a return "back to reality" for him.
"School drop off this morning. My 6 year old 'daddy don’t give me a kiss and a cuddle anymore when you drop me…just stay in the car.' Tough game. Back to reality!" Andy Murray said.
Tennis fans were amused by the Brit's admission and reacted to the hilarity of the situation. Many fans noted that such behavior by children was a global norm, irrespective of the parent's identity.
"Even when you are one of the best sportsmen in the world your children still feel slightly embarrassed of you outside school. It’s a parent thing. Kids don’t care who you are, just that you are their parent," one fan said.
Many others were relieved to find the tennis legend in the same boat as everyone else.
"Doesn’t make you feel too bad knowing that even Andy Murray’s kids get embarrassed by him," another fan said.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
"I gave everything that I had" - Andy Murray on his Australian Open 2023 run
Andy Murray played two of the most thrilling matches in Australian Open history at the tournament in 2023. The World No. 66 staged a stunning upset over 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in the opening round, where he had to save a match point to pull through in five sets 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6(7)-7, 7-6(6).
His second-round meeting was against Australian home hope Thanasi Kokkinakis. The duo pulled out all the stops to produce a match for the history books. Playing the second-longest match in the tournament's history and the longest of his career, Andy Murray outlasted Kokkinakis 4-6, 6(4)-7, 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 in a five hours and 45 minutes-long battle.
The 35-year-old, however, fell short in his third-round clash against Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1, 6(7)-7, 6-3, 6-4. After his loss, the former World No. 1 conveyed that he gave his all at the tournament and was proud of his run.
"I feel like I gave everything that I had to this event. So I'm proud of that," he said. "You can't control how well you're going to play or the result. You can control the effort that you put into it, and I gave everything that I had the last three matches. I'm very proud of that."
The Brit is now scheduled to play tournaments in Rotterdam and Dubai in February.
