‘Angry’ Murray Likens Texas School Shooting Survivor’s Experience to His Own

Andy Murray. (AFP)
Andy Murray. (AFP)
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‘Angry’ Murray Likens Texas School Shooting Survivor’s Experience to His Own

Andy Murray. (AFP)
Andy Murray. (AFP)

Britain's two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray said the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas made him "angry", adding that a survivor's account of the incident was similar to his own experience in the 1996 Dunblane massacre in Scotland.

An 18-year-old gunman armed with a semi-automatic rifle stormed an elementary school in Texas last week, killing 19 children and two teachers.

The attack, coming 10 days after a shooting in Buffalo, New York that left 10 people dead, has intensified the long-standing national debate over US gun laws.

"It's unbelievably upsetting and it makes you angry. I think there's been over 200 mass shootings in America this year and nothing changes," Murray said. "I can't understand that ...

"My feeling is that surely at some stage you do something different. You can't keep approaching the problem by buying more guns and having more guns in the country. I don't see how that solves it.

"But I could be wrong. Let's maybe try something different and see if you get a different outcome."

Murray grew up in Dunblane and was a student at the town's local elementary school when a gunman killed 16 pupils and a teacher before killing himself. It is the deadliest mass shooting in Britain's modern history.

"I heard something on the radio the other day and it was a child from that school," Murray told the BBC. "I experienced a similar thing when I was at Dunblane, a teacher coming out and waving all of the children under tables and telling them to go and hide.

"And it was a kid telling exactly the same story about how she survived it.

"They were saying that they go through these drills, as young children ... How? How is that normal that children should be having to go through drills, in case someone comes into a school with a gun?"



Lebanon's Hassan Makes History with Win Over Eubanks

Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Christopher Eubanks (USA) hits the ball against Benjamin Hassan (LBN) in the men’s tennis singles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights
Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Christopher Eubanks (USA) hits the ball against Benjamin Hassan (LBN) in the men’s tennis singles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights
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Lebanon's Hassan Makes History with Win Over Eubanks

Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Christopher Eubanks (USA) hits the ball against Benjamin Hassan (LBN) in the men’s tennis singles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights
Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Christopher Eubanks (USA) hits the ball against Benjamin Hassan (LBN) in the men’s tennis singles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights

Benjamin Hassan secured a landmark victory on Sunday as he became the first Lebanon player to win a match in an Olympic tennis event, stunning American Christopher Eubanks.

Germany-born Hassan, ranked 170th in the world, won 6-4 6-2 for one of the best victories of his career to fully vindicate being handed a Universality place by the ITF.

"I am unbelievably happy. We just enjoy it from the whole team. We are really proud and I'm also proud of myself," the 29-year-old told reporters.

 

"It was an unbelievable atmosphere. I was just trying to be calm because I didn't want to waste too much energy. When I won I could let it all out."

According to Reuters, Hassan did not even set about becoming a professional until the age of 22, having previously played just for fun. But now he is living the dream as an Olympian and has a second-round clash against Argentina's Sebastian Baez to look forward to.

He has thrown himself into life in the athletes village, amassing quite a collection of pins. "I think the most special one is Japan because I'm a huge fan of Japan. I like watching a lot of animated mangas," he said.

Hassan was not the only Lebanon player in the draw as Hady Habib lost to French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday.

Hassan and Habib also lost in the doubles on Sunday.