Andy Murray praised by Chris Hoy at Rio 2016 opening ceremony after fumbling with flag

'Nailed it'

Andy Murray leads out Team GB (GETTY)

He is a stand-out tennis player and consummate professional who takes his sport very seriously.

But Andy Murray has never appeared overwhelmingly comfortable in his secondary role, the byproduct of his success, as a celebrity.

On court, he exudes confidence, but off the court, Murray often appears somewhat awkward in the public eye. His social media is largely reserved for training videos and the odd family snap, unlike his much more social-media friendly counterpart Heather Watson. The British number one furiously documented Rio with a selfie, including an excited selfie with the flag bearer himself.

Murray, meanwhile, was confused.

Murray enjoyed extra support at the Rio Olympics 2016 as the standard bearer for Team Great Britain after a few teething problems ahead of the opening ceremony.

The tennis ace was filmed fumbling with a flag before almost knocking Princess Anne out with it as a photographer tried to arrange those posing for the offical photo.

Fellow Scot Sir Chris Hoy, who carried the Union Flag in 2012, was among those rooting for Murray.

Murray led Team GB out onto Maracana Stadium while deftly carrying the flag with one hand, in what he described as “the proudest moment of my professional career”.