Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has revealed that receiving criticism over the years led to him doubting himself on the court.
The Scot, who was crowned champion at SW19 after defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Sunday, is thought to have had a mixed reception among home supporters due to a tongue-in-cheek remark made to former pro Tim Henman regarding the England football team a number of years ago.
The 26-year-old has also been abused for his seemingly miserable persona, but Murray is hoping that his new-found success on the court can help silence his critics.
"A lot has changed for me in the time I've been coming to Wimbledon and obviously the expectation and interest has got bigger and bigger," Murray told BBC Sport. "That can be difficult to handle and when I was younger it might have made me angry sometimes. I was still a kid in those early days and maybe not mature enough to deal with those things.
"It does upset you when people you don't know are criticising you, and things are getting said about your family and the people around you. It can challenge you mentally as well.
"You start doubting yourself - am I working with the right people? Am I doing the right thing by training here? Have I picked the right coach? It's not easy. The nice thing now is that hopefully I'll be able to stick with my team until the end of my career."
Murray has now won two Grand Slams, having already lifted the 2012 US Open.
Matt Cotton
