Sir Andy Murray’s tennis career could draw to a sensational end this summer, with the tennis icon set for his final-ever appearance on the court.
The 37-year-old British sporting legend is currently competing in the doubles competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics as he prepares for his climactic swansong in professional tennis. Teaming up with fellow Brit Dan Evans, the pair made headlines with an extraordinary comeback win against Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel, defeating them 2-6 7-6 (7-5) (11/9) in the opening match.
Their next opponents are the Belgian duo, Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, who are not seeded in the draw. After sadly withdrawing from this year’s Wimbledon men’s singles competition due to surgery on a spinal cyst, Murray had initially planned to participate in the mixed-doubles event.
His hopes were dashed again when partner Emma Raducanu pulled out through injury. Nevertheless, he joined forces with his brother Jamie for the men’s doubles.
But their campaign ended prematurely following a defeat to Rinky Hijikata and John Peers in the initial round. Following the loss, an emotional Murray stated: “I want to play forever. I love the sport. It’s given me so, so much. It taught me loads of lessons over the years I can use for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop, so it is hard.
The Murray brothers, hailing from Dunblane in Scotland, had never previously teamed up for doubles at Wimbledon but played a crucial role in clinching the Davis Cup for Great Britain in 2015. Both brothers have enjoyed illustrious careers, with Jamie bagging seven Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, while Andy has etched his name in the annals of tennis history, boasting 46 titles, including two Wimbledon and one US Open championship, along with two Olympic gold medals.
Of course, like any family, the brothers have had their fair share of highs and lows, and Murray has been open about his marriage and family life. Here’s everything you need to know about the man off the court, from his staggering net worth to his very public disagreement with his brother, as reported by Wales Online.
Andy Murray’s net worth
As one of the most successful tennis players of his generation, Murray has amassed a huge fortune, having won a total of just over £50 million over the course of his playing career.
Of course, as with most athletes, he makes plenty of money off the court as well, having signed endorsement deals and sponsorship partnerships with the likes of Jaguar, Castore, Under Armour and Head. He has also teamed up with other big brands including Amazon Prime Video, Standard Life and American Express over the years.
All of that means he has a staggering net worth that is estimated to be around £85 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. However, other sources have put it closer to £100 million.
Murray has invested much of his money in property, living in a huge mansion in Oxshott, Surrey, which set him back over £5 million when he bought it back in 2009. He has also netted huge profits from selling other properties, including a flat in Miami, while he bought the five-star country house hotel Cromlix House, situated just outside his home town, for £1.8 million back in 2014.
Wife, kids and ‘selfish’ marriage claim
Murray married Kim Sears – the daughter of tennis coach Nigel Sears – in 2015, a decade after meeting at a party at the 2005 US Open. They had gone public with their relationship a year after they met, with the tennis ace running through the crowd after winning his first tournament in California to give his then-girlfriend a kiss.
Following their engagement in 2014, the couple exchanged wedding vows in the subsequent year and have since become parents to four children – Sophia, Edie, Teddy, and Lola. Echoing sentiments familiar to many parents, Murray noted during an interview with This Morning’s Alison Hammond in 2021 that one of his proudest accomplishments was managing to put all four of his children to bed on time.
Kim has earned recognition herself and is commonly spotted passionately cheering on Murray from the sidelines during major tournaments. Still, she has occasionally been overly enthusiastic, as when she was captured on film during Murray’s Wimbledon semi-final win over Tomas Berdych in 2015, exclaiming: “F****** have that you flash Czech f***”.
Awarded a knighthood for contributions to tennis and charity by The Queen’s New Year Honours in 2016, Murray later quipped that his wife Kim would have to curb her colourful language in consideration of her new status as a Lady. As he jovially recalled: “She’s going to have to [do] no more swearing during my matches anymore, for any of you who saw that a few years ago.”
Being a professional athlete can strain personal relationships, a fact to which Murray too admits, acknowledging instances where he’s been accused of being “selfish” toward his family. A hip injury leading to an extended break from tennis presented a challenge to the star’s marriage – yet, he was quick to praise his wife for adopting a “brilliant” approach to the difficult circumstance.
“I was pretty down, that’s for sure,” he said. “It was a really tough period for me because it wasn’t so much the actual injury itself. Being injured can be frustrating, but the issue that I had was with me every single day, sleeping and walking. It wasn’t just I hit a serve and my arm hurt. This woke me up in the night. It was bad.
I don’t know if the children noticed because when I’m with them I’m always trying to put on a brave face, but my wife definitely. It put a lot of strain on our relationship, just because I was down all the time,” he added. “She has been brilliant and I would probably be quite selfish, just in terms of thinking about myself and how I’m feeling all the time and not actually realising the impact that has on all the people around me.”
Feud with brother Jamie
Andy has always been close with his brother Jamie, who is a year and three months older than him. However, as two competitive athletes, they have also had their fair share of arguments over the years.
Back in 2008, the siblings had a public fallout following Andy’s decision to drop out of Great Britain’s Davis Cup first-round tie against Argentina over fears he could aggravate a knee injury. Jamie was furious at the decision, as he played the match alongside Ross Hutchins instead and fell to a defeat.
“It kind of affects the way we feel about him,” he said. “I think it’s disappointing he chose not to come. From what I have been reading he hasn’t come out and said he’s injured, it’s more a prevention thing. I think if he had really wanted to push himself he could have come here for the match.
It was a shock for me and for the team. I was not aware he had a problem. From his point of view, I guess he doesn’t have anything to apologise for as he’s taken the decision not to come.
If he had come here, he would have caused them problems because he has the ability to win singles matches, he’s a world-class player. He’s been in the top 10 and not by fluke. I think he would have liked to come here and had the crowd against him, he plays better in those circumstances.”
Andy soon hit back at his brother’s comments as he said: “It was a little bit disappointing. But he obviously felt pretty strongly about it and he’s entitled to his opinion. If he knew what it was like playing three five-set matches in a row on clay then maybe he’d understand my position a little bit better.”
“I’ve not spoken to him yet. I’ll see him soon. I guess we’ll have to have a chat about it and just discuss our feelings on Davis Cup and the sort of position that I am in, but it’s probably not going to be the most fun conversation to have with your brother.” The pair didn’t speak for two weeks – but made up in the end!
