Sir Andy Murray may have ruled out moving into punditry when he retires from professional tennis, but that doesn’t mean he will be abandoning the world of sport altogether.
The 37-year-old has floated a range of ideas for his post-playing career, including coaching football, becoming a golf caddy and continuing his existing work in sports management and fashion.
In an interview yesterday, Murray played down the prospect of being a talking head, admitting he ‘didn’t particularly enjoy it’ on his previous attempts before taking a swipe at how ‘everyone agrees with each other all the time.’
The two-time Wimbledon champion, who has hopes of going out on a high at the tournament next month, said he could ‘potentially’ go into coaching, possibly in a different sport like football or golf.
Andy Murray is considering working in another sport, like golf. He’s seen here hitting balls while on holiday in Mauritius
The three-time Grand Slam champion pictured with his wife Kim at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2019
Murray told The Sunday Times he is ‘not happy’ about the prospect of retirement, explaining that he still feels young and quitting tennis would leave him with a massive hole to fill in his life.
As arguably Britain’s greatest ever tennis players, how he will choose to fill that time is already the subject of substantial speculation.
His previous comments suggest he will continue working in sport, although in what capacity remains to be seen.
‘I love sport, so something else that would interest me post-playing would be working in another sport,’ Murray told the Gentleman’s Journal in 2021.
‘I got asked about this a little while ago and, because I really like golf, being a caddie on a golf tour would be exciting – to be up close and personal with top golfers and to learn about another sport like that.
‘There’s probably also some crossover between tennis and golf on the mental side of things, and helping a golfer with that might be interesting. Or getting my coaching badges in football – that would be fun.’
Murray has occasionally been spotted on the golf course and used it as an important part of his rehabilitation from a hip operation towards the start of 2019.
His mother, Judy, is also a fan of the sport.
On the football side of things, he is a die-hard Arsenal fan despite admitting to supporting Scottish side Hibernian as a youngster. His older brother, Jamie, also a professional tennis player, supports Manchester United.
While he decides which direction to take his career, Murray will have a number of business ventures to keep him occupied.
In 2013 they bought the luxury Scottish country house hotel Cromlix, which is close to the town of Dunblane, where he grew up and they have overseen its refurbishment. They have also put in planning applications for nine additional cabins which they hope to build later this year.
Murray playing football during a charity fundraiser in Miami on March 23, 2011
Murray has occasionally been spotted on a golf course and used golf as an important part of his rehabilitation from a hip operation towards the start of 2019. His mother, Judy, is also a fan of the sport
The father of four also has a substantial stake in the British sportswear brand Castore, is a shareholder in Game4Padel, a fast-growing game which is a cross between tennis and squash and TMRW Sports, a venture launched by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
He is a supporter of British startups – bosting a long association with the UK crowdfunding platform Seedrs – and is a global ambassador for Unicef and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
In 2022 he donated £510,000 – his whole year’s prize money – to help displaced Ukrainian children and received an Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in recognition of his efforts.
Murray is the first British man to win multiple Wimbledon singles titles since Fred Perry in 1936.
But he had to wait for his success. He famously gave a tearful speech after losing his first Wimbledon final against Roger Federer in 2012.
Twelve months later, he finally ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a male champion – the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and former champions Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker were among those watching from the Royal Box.
He went on to became a Wimbledon champion for the second time in 2016 when he beat Canadian Milos Raonic in five sets, repeating his 2013 triumph and claiming a third Grand Slam title.
Murray previously won gold in the men’s singles at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and plans to take part in the tennis at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Yesterday he admits having to retire ‘is going to be difficult when that time comes’.
‘This gives you a lot. I invest a lot of my mental energy on tennis. Waking in the morning with a routine?
‘To better yourself? That’s a huge motivation, every single day. And when that’s not there, it’s going to be hard to replace.’
Murray lives in Oxshott, Surrey with his wife Kim, 36, and they have four children – Sophia, Edie and Teddy. Their fourth child was born in lockdown in March 2021 and the couple have never announced the baby’s name or gender.
Murray, pictured here training for the US Open in New York City in August 2023, admits to dreading the prospect of retirement