There's a tennis player who goes by the name of Andy Murray - he's no.3 or 4 in the world and sometimes he's got no beard at all and sometimes he'd let it grow for a week or 2, even during the biggest tournaments. Personally I don't think it's a pretty beard or even half pretty, but I admire him for doing what he feels like even tho he's got millions of people watching him play, and many will surely say that it's inappropriate.

The commentators will always say something about it. If he's doing well they'll say: "well, looks like that beard is helping, maybe that's why he keeps it" and if he's not doing well they'll say: "looks like he needs to shave that beard and pick up his game again". But they have to say something about it either way.

Taken from a postgame interview at Wimbledon just a few days ago, minutes after winning his quarter-final:

Q. You've kept the beard after saying you weren't superstitious on Monday. Do you think we'll see it on Friday?

ANDY MURRAY: I'm not thinking about it at all. It's not something that keeps me up at night, or when I wake up in the morning I'm not really that fussed about it.

Q. It was painful on Monday, though.

ANDY MURRAY: Painful?

Q. Yes. You said it got to that stage.

ANDY MURRAY: No, it gets to a length where it's sore to shave it for me. So it would be sore for me to shave it. That's why I sort of put it off a little bit.

Q. So we could see it Friday?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. Yeah, there's a chance that I might still have some facial hair on Friday, yeah (smiling).

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Gotta love this guy

Personally I think Tennis players or any other athletes, or anyone you see perform, should choose for themselves if they want to shave or not. It should remain a matter of personal taste. If people say he looks like a monkey then that's for him to worry about. Dressing code at Wimbledon says you should wear white clothes, but thankfully there's nothing on shaving.

Your thoughts?