Scottish tennis star Andy Murray is taking a stand against sexism in sports -- starting with supporting his coach, Amélie Mauresmo.
Murray said that Mauresmo, a former world champion player, has been heavily criticized simply for her gender -- and that he's not entirely surprised, given the history of the sport.
"I knew that working alongside Amélie [Mauresmo] would set tongues wagging. The reason for this is that very few players before me have worked with a female coach... I didn’t realise, however, that Amélie would find herself up against such criticism and prejudice," Murray wrote on his blog for the French sports journal L'Equipe.
During his time with Mauresmo since 2014, Murray rose from being ranked the No. 11 best player in the world to No. 3, which he said "speaks for itself."
"Her competence was always under fire. I felt embarrassed... Rather than blaming me, they pointed the finger at Amélie. I still remember what some players and coaches said about her -- I wasn’t impressed and I shan’t forget in a hurry," Murray said.
Murray also reflects on the women who inspired him on his path, including Mauresmo, while proudly declaring himself a feminist.
"Have I become a feminist? If being a feminist is about fighting so that a woman is treated like a man then yes, I suppose I have. My upbringing means that I’m quite attuned to the whole thing. I came to tennis thanks to my mother. I always had a very close relationship with my grandmothers," said Murray.
"It wouldn’t hurt for everyone to be a little more open-minded," Murray concluded.