Johanna Contacts, recently named UK Player of the Year, expressed her gratitude for Andy Murray in a statement to the WTA. The Scotsman has repeatedly made a strong public commitment to equality between women and men.
“I think we’re very fortunate because of two words: Andy Murray,”said Kontakt to the WTA Insider Podcast,”He is such a great supporter of women in any role. He remains consistent in his message, I can only try to copy it from him, because I am of the same conviction.”.
It was not until September that Murray published a detailed commentary on the BBC’s homepage, in which he spoke out in favour of joint training for boys and girls into adolescence. In addition, he praised the tournaments that show no difference in prize money between the women’s and men’s competitions.
I know that some of the barriers have already been broken,”Kontakt went on to say,”but I don’t think that sport is necessarily perceived as something female. I think that as an athlete you automatically try to break further barriers and show that top-class sport is something wonderful and that everything else (such as gender, note) is irrelevant.”
At a press conference in Wimbledon, Murray also drew attention to the fact that female athletes like to be talked down. Speaking to his future opponent Sam Querrey, he taught a journalist that the USA has had great success in women’s tennis in recent years.
Contacts is currently number nine in the world. The 26-year-old had to end her season prematurely because of a foot injury.