Andy Murray just had to remind a reporter that Venus and Serena beat him to his record.
Yesterday, Britain's Andy Murray defeated Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the men's singles tennis final, winning his second gold medal and setting a record in the event.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.
Still, in a post-match interview with the BBC's John Inverdale, the two-time champion left no doubt as to whose (ridiculous) mark everyone in tennis is trying to chase.
Inverdale: "You're the first person to ever win two Olympic tennis gold medals. That's an extraordinary feat, isn't it?"
Murray: "Well, to defend the singles title. I think Venus and Serena have won about four each."
Murray is correct! Women are people.
Women. Photo via iStock.
And turns out, their gold medals count just as much.
Venus and Serena Williams truly have dominated the women's field at the Olympics, winning doubles gold in 2000, 2008, and 2012 (in addition to singles gold in 2000 and 2012, respectively).
Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.
While female athletes still face discrimination — including less visibility, inferior equipment, and lower earnings — women comprise nearly half of the athletes in Rio, for the first time in Olympic history.
The International Olympic Committee announced that achieving complete gender parity would be a priority for the Tokyo games in 2020, and that more more mixed-gender events — where men and women compete on teams together — could be introduced.
Standing up for his female colleagues in the game is nothing new for Murray either.
The Brit is one of few male tennis stars to work with a female coach, and he declared himself a feminist in a blog post last year, after watching his female coach endure excessive criticism in the wake of his losses.
He also wrote that he believes it's a "crying shame there aren’t more female coaches."
Congratulations, Andy Murray. And thanks for giving credit where credit is due.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.
With your epic win, you're halfway to being the GOAT.