Andy Murray has been voted the 2013 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The 26-year-old Scot became the first Briton in 77 years to win the Wimbledon men's singles title with victory over Novak Djokovic in the summer. Read more after the cut.....
Wales and British & Irish Lions rugby union player Leigh Halfpenny was runner-up, with jockey AP McCoy third.
"I'd like to thank all the public who voted, for giving me so much support over the last couple of years," said Murray. "It's made a huge difference."
The ceremony was held at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, although Murray was presented with the award in Miami where he is training ahead of the new season.
Martina Navratilova, the 18-time Grand Slam champion, handed the trophy over.
Murray, who was third behind cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins and heptathlete Jessica Ennis in 2012, said: "Thanks to Martina for giving this to me. She's possibly the greatest tennis player of all time.
"I've got a few people to thank - my family first. A lot are there in the crowd. They've supported me since I was a kid, making a lot of sacrifices for me. I couldn't have done it without you.
"My team are also all standing behind the camera here. They've been with me for a long time and I also couldn't have done it without them. Thank you to all of them."
Of the public, he added: "I know sometimes I'm not the easiest person to support but I've had a lot of pressure on me for a long time. I'm glad I managed to do it.
"No matter how excited I try to sound, my voice always sounds boring - that's just my voice. I'm sorry. I'm very excited right now. Thank you very much everyone."
Murray is the fourth tennis player to win the award in its 60-year history, after Ann Jones in 1969, Virginia Wade in 1977 and Greg Rusedski in 1997.
No comments:
Post a Comment