Andy Murray’s mother Judy has given an insight into the British star’s view on retirement after crashing out of Wimbledon at the hands of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round. The 36-year-old refused to confirm whether he would be returning to SW19 after his loss that span across two days, prompting fears that he may call it a day.
Murray has remarkably returned to a high level after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his hip in 2019, following an emotional Australian Open press conference that suggested that he was close to retiring. However, he has since discussed the prospect of quitting professional tennis – but mum Judy may have hinted that both his and Jamie Murray’s careers will continue.
“They [Andy and Jamie] still love it,” Judy Murray told The Telegraph. “They love the battle. They love the sport. I wouldn’t have imagined I’d still be going with them, but it’s what they want to do. And for as long as they want to do it they’ll keep going.
“Who knows how much longer. But when you saw the performance Andy put up the other day against the world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, when he’s got a metal hip and four kids, it’s unreal what he’s come through.”
Murray has admitted that he has started to consider his future after the game over the past year and a half, as he hinted at a potential coaching role – though not in tennis. “It’s only in the last 18 months or so that I’ve started to think about my future after tennis,” Murray told British Airways High Life magazine.
“I’ve heard stories from ex-players and other athletes who’ve made no plans for retiring, and they finish and all of a sudden, it’s, ‘What am I going to do with myself?’ I was chatting to them about things that I might want to get involved in or really don’t want to get involved in, just starting to get a few ideas together. I’m looking for something I’m really passionate about and that I want to work really hard at to achieve a specific goal. One area that ticks that box is coaching, but not necessarily in tennis. I’ll definitely want to keep busy.”
Jamie Murray has found himself in a similar position, having taken up more punditry options following his Wimbledon quarter-finals defeat in the men’s doubles. “I don’t know how much longer I will be able to play,” he told the BBC.
“Hopefully that will be a few years away – I’ve no plans yet to retire. For those players who have things set up for when they stop playing, that thought of retirement is not as scary.
“But if I stop playing tomorrow it’ll be like ‘Woah, what am I going to do now?’ So, as I approach the end of my career, it is important to start thinking about how the future might look when my playing days are finally over.”
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