Sport

Andy Murray considers careers as golf caddie or football coach after tennis

Former world number one giving thought to life after tennis

Andy Murray has said he would be open to the idea of being a caddie to a professional golfer or take his coaching badges in football after his tennis career is over. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA Wire

Tumaini Carayol
Mon Mar 29 2021 - 17:16

Andy Murray has revealed that he would like to help professional golfers as a caddie or work towards earning coaching badges in football once his tennis career comes to an end.

Shortly before he was forced to withdraw from the Miami Open after sustaining a "freak" groin strain while in bed at night, Murray spoke about what his future holds beyond his sport. "I really like golf, so being a caddie for example on the golf tour would be something I would find exciting," he said. "To be up close and personal to top golfers – and to learn about another sport like that – and maybe there's some crossover between the two sports from the mental side and things, and so you might be able to help a golfer.

“Or getting your coaching badges in football – that’s something that would be fun to do.”

Murray also identified one of his biggest career mistakes as being signed to a management company as a young child. He now owns 77 Sports Management, which, he told the Gentleman’s Journal, is partly to help athletes avoid making the mistakes he made as a child.

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“Me and my brother first signed a deal with a management company I think when we were 12-13 years old. And your parents . . . because most parents have never experienced having a child or working with an athlete who is potentially world class, so you rely on the experts to help guide you, but I don’t think that management companies [always] have the athletes’ best interests at heart.

“And signing athletes at 12-13 suggests that they don’t because, you know, does a kid really need a pressure of one of the biggest management companies in world sport looking after them when they are 12-13? I don’t know if that’s the right message to send.”

As organised sports resume this week in the UK, Murray hopes that increased participation will lead to a change in culture at tennis club level. “It’s a great social sport that people can play through until their 70s – it’s something you can play for life. That’s the thing that the UK needs to capitalise on more of a club culture,” said the 33-year-old.

"They have that over in France and Spain a lot, where people can go down and hang out at the tennis club – play some tennis and have their lunch there. Not really the case in the UK. And that's something I wish was a bit different." - Guardian

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