By Erik Gudris
It's not every day that one receives a royal honor. That certainly was the case for Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, who received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) "for services to tennis" from none other than Prince William himself at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace. But Murray almost missed his royal date with destiny thanks to an unscheduled, random drug test. As he was just about to leave his residence in the morning, a drug testing team arrived asking for a urine sample from the current ATP No. 4. Murray took care of business and didn't let it stop him, sending out this message on Twitter telling the world what just happened.
After being bestowed with the honor by Prince William, who is an avid tennis fan, Murray told reporters afterwards, "It's a great honor to be awarded something like this - it means a lot.” Murray posed for a commemorative photograph with his longtime girlfriend Kim Sears. His mother, Judy Murray, summed up her emotions on the day with a simple, heartfelt message on Twitter.
Later, even Murray's dog, Maggie May, enjoyed the special award that was renamed "Order of the Border Empire" in her honor.
Other tennis stars who have previously received the OBE honor include Tim Henman and Virginia Wade.