Murray's dry sense of humor was already evident in his youth.
“Who is the greatest player in Scottish history?” A reporter investigated.
“Me?” he replied.
Murray added: “My mother was a good player, but we have a senior who is about 220 years old. Apart from him, there was no one who was particularly good.”
That “senior guy” was Alan Mackin, whose tour-level win-loss record was 1-15. Murray was eliminated with a record of 739-262.
First up for Murray in the 2004 junior title race was 15-year-old Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro, who was defeated 6-0, 6-1.
Twelve years later, Murray defeated Del Potro again in the final of the Olympic Games in Rio – at what point in time Both men had won a US Open men's title.
And if the name Stakhovsky, the man who stood in Murray's way in the final, is familiar, there are good reasons for it.
The Ukrainian reached one stunning win in 2013 against Roger Federer at Wimbledon and boasted that he had “kicked the Swiss butt”. With Federer having a sore bottom, Murray also grabbed the title.
Murray's resignation came just a few weeks ago. His body had been sending coded messages for years; The mind finally paid attention.
His game was born in Dunblane and grew up in Spain, But in New York observers began pitting him against Britain's leading man, Henman.
“I've been compared to him a lot, which is great,” Murray said in 2004. “I think I can do it. But at the moment I’m nowhere near as good as Tim.”
Henman reached six Slam semifinals – the last, coincidentally, was at the 2004 US Open – but failed to reach a final.
After defeating Stakhovsky, Murray acknowledged the burden that lay ahead.
“This tournament is a big deal for me, but in a few years everyone will have forgotten about it and they will be looking for me to win at the Senior Grand Slams,” he said. “I believe I can get to the top.”
