Andy Murray lauded the efforts of athletes Marcus Rashford and Naomi Osaka for being social advocates outside the court.
For the past years, many athletes have been engaged in social change drives, which Andy Murray believes is a 'change-maker' in sports.
In his column written on BBC, Murray acknowledged those sportspersons who used their platforms to address the current social issues, especially that the world is in the midst of difficult situations right now.
Growing up as a fan of Muhammad Ali, the British tennis star took note that social media's prevalence leads the people to have more time for self-reflection during the pandemic lockdown.
"In tennis, we saw Naomi Osaka decide she would not play in her Western and Southern Open semifinal in August," Murray said.
Andy Murray, who has been ranked world No. 1 for 41 weeks in 2016, praised how Naomi Osaka sacrificed her tennis match to push what she wants to convey to the people.
Osaka, a Japanese professional player, revealed that she would not pursue playing in the semifinal match of the Western and Southern Open in August to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake at the hands of the police in Wisconsin.
Jacob Blake is a 29-year-old Black man who was shot by the police in August. He sustained seven gunshots in an attempt to enter the side door of the police vehicle.
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Blake was with his three children during the incident. He survived the shooting but was left paralyzed.
The U.S. Open champion wore a black mask to show her support for the Black victims who suffered racial injustice from the police. She did that in seven of her matches.
The three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray also admired Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford for his humanitarian deed when he protested and gave free meals to the street children in winter.
"It's something he [Rashford] has experienced himself and is very passionate about. They've raised millions for families of school children on lower incomes -- and that's amazing. Marcus is a really nice guy and it is such a great thing that he was able to use his voice to bring about change," Murray said of Rashford.
Andy Murray was a known advocate of gender equality, and he has proved it many times. The 33-year-old veteran said that he experienced sexism in the sport when he worked with Amelie Mauresmo. The issue suddenly jumped on him, and since that happened, he already knew what to do with it.
Moreover, it was something that Murray had to change. He continued that people should not wait to talk about it.
Murray took pride in using his platform as a means to speak out for the people. According to him, being a stalwart supporter of social advocacy will bring positive change for the sport and society.
Meanwhile, Murray will be looking forward to his comeback later this month, in the Third Battles of the Brits competition. Since losing to Fernando Verdasco in October, he has not played a single game.
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