Andy Murray has broken his silence after plans to build a multi-million pound tennis centre to celebrate his legacy were cancelled.
The idea for a £20million ‘legacy’ centre to be constructed in his hometown of Dunblane had been under deliberation for the best part of a decade.
But it was announced on Tuesday that they had been aborted, and the recently retired tennis star gave a trademark response to the news after seemingly learning of the decision via social media.
What a surprise,” he wrote, accompanying his blunt remark with an ‘eye-roll’ emoji to summarise his feelings
The 37-year-old, who retired from tennis after bowing out of the Olympic men’s doubles tournament in the quarter-finals, has been enjoying some downtime before planning his next move.
But the abandonment of the legacy project, inspired by Murray family, will cast a dark shadow on his first few months of his post-playing career
It was revealed that the project was scrapped due to an increase in costs, as well as insurmountable difficulties in the planning process.
The project, led by Andy and Jamie’s mother Judy, included plans for a multi-sport site with outdoor tennis and padel courts near his hometown of Dunblane, Scotland.
The centre was also set to include pickleball courts in addition to a gym, exercise studio, soft play and multi-use games areas. The project was being overseen by the Murray Play Foundation, a charitable organisation set up to design, build and operate the proposed facility.
However, organisers announced the venture would not be pursued due to significant construction, materials and labour costs. The planning process and protracted discussions with the governing bodies also played a role in the collapse of the centre’s planned construction.
It remains to be seen whether the Murrays will explore another way to mark the three-time Grand Slam winner’s remarkable career as one of British tennis’ greatest players.
Murray won his first Wimbledon title in 2013, becoming the first British male player since Fred Perry in 1936 to win a men’s single title. He followed that up with a second SW19 crown in 2016 when he beat Novak Djokovic.
He does at least have one legacy moment to savour, with Queen’s Club naming their main showcourt ‘The Andy Murray Arena’ earlier this year.
