Three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray may have had a difficult 2018 season, but he has been given reason to celebrate at the end of the year.
The former world No.1 has finished second in a public poll concerning the greatest BBC Sports Personality of all time. More than 11,000 people voted in the poll, which was conducted by The Radio Times to mark the 65th anniversary of the awards ceremony. Readers were asked to vote for their favourite winner of the past.
Murray is a three-time winner the BBC Sports Personality of The Year. Receiving the honour in 2013, 2015 and 2016. He has won the award more times than any other athlete in history. Murray also finished third at the 2012 ceremony. He is one of only four tennis players to have received the honour. The others are Anne Jones (1969), Virginia Wade (1977) and Greg Rusedski (1997).
The 31-year-old returned to the tour in June after spending almost a year out due to a hip injury that required surgery in January. Since returning, Murray has played in six tournaments with his best run being to the quarter-final of the Washington Open. At the US Open the three-time grand slam champion defeated James Duckworth before falling to Fernando Verdasco in the second round. Murray cut short his season at the end of September in order to have a longer off-season period to train.
“I’m feeling physically a little bit better every day,” Murray recently said in a video made for the upcoming Brisbane International. “It’s obviously been a tough year with the hip injury and the surgery, but I’m getting closer. I’ve been practising already for a few days and I’ve still got a couple of months to get myself in the best shape.”
“I’ll be doing my off-season training in Miami. I’ve spent four or five weeks over in Philadelphia doing a lot of off-court training. Then in December I’m going to get to Miami and do three or four weeks of training in the hot conditions there and spending a lot more time in the hot conditions there to get myself ready.” He added.
Murray, who is currently ranked 260th in the world, was denied the title of the greatest BBC Sports personality of all time by football icon Bobby Moore. Moore was the captain of the 1966 English football team that won the World Cup.
Full results: Greatest Sports Personality of All Time
1: Bobby Moore (1966)
2: Sir Andy Murray (2013, 2015, 2016)
3: Lewis Hamilton (2014)
4: Sir Steve Redgrave (2000)
5: Sir Chris Hoy (2008)
6: Sir Mo Farah (2017)
7: Daley Thompson (1982)
8: David Beckham (2001)
9: Torvill and Dean (1984)
10: Paul Gascoigne (1990)
10: Sir Ian Botham (1981)
11: Jonny Wilkinson (2003)
12: AP McCoy (2010)
13: Sir Henry Cooper (1967, 1970)
14: Paula Radcliffe (2002)
15: Andrew Flintoff (2005)
16: Sir Bradley Wiggins (2012)
17: Joe Calzaghe (2007)
17: Dame Kelly Holmes (2004)
17: Lord Sebastian Coe (1979)
17: John Surtees (1959)
18: Ryan Giggs (2009)
18: Dame Mary Peters (1972)
19: Sir Chris Chataway (1954)
20: Sir Stirling Moss (1961)
Note: date is the year the athlete was named BBC Sports Personality.
