Andy Murray has revealed he’s considering switching sports when he retires from tennis. The British icon was unable to shine at Wimbledon this year, crashing out of the tournament to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round on Thursday. And while he’s vowed to carry on playing, his long-term future in the sport remains up on the air.
British tennis heroes such as Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski have opted to become commentators since quitting the sport.
But Murray isn’t interested in following in their footsteps and would love to chance his arm in another field instead.
“It’s only in the last 18 months or so that I’ve started to think about my future after tennis,” he 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.
“One area that ticks that box is coaching, but not necessarily in tennis. I’ll definitely want to keep busy.”
Murray is an Arsenal fan, while he also supports Scottish side Hibernian.
And the former world No 1, speaking in 2017, suggested he was interested in pursuing a career in football.
“I would like to do something in football,” he said at the time.
“I watch loads of it. I am into my fantasy sports a lot.
“I would like to try my hand at coaching at some stage, but I wouldn’t think immediately after I finish. I would like to spend a lot of time at home with family and see my child, or children, growing up.”
Murray has also previously said: “It does help, you get used to losing a lot at a young age!
“In terms of watching games, I went to watch Hibs play AEK Athens [in 2001] and they lost in extra time. But it ended 4-3 [on aggregate] and it was an amazing game.
“I would have been young at the time but I will always remember that because Hibs playing in Europe is really rare.
“Our family all supported Hibs because my grandfather had played for them, and we’d all go along and watch them together.
“I’d have been six or seven at my first game but I don’t really remember it.
“My dad told me that I used to cry whenever Hibs scored because the crowd was so loud. I don’t cry at football anymore.”
For now, Murray plans to play on.
And coach Jonny O’Mara revealed the 36-year-old would take time to reflect following his defeat to Tsitsipas last week.
“Only he knows what he’s thinking and whether that was immediate or whether that’s how he’s feeling, that’s entirely up to him,” said O’Mara.
“I think he’ll take a few days to reflect and whether he’ll stay with that or he’ll find motivation to carry on.
“He’s definitely showing a level that he can be at the top, and he is at the top.
“If there was anyone else that was top 40 in the world, nobody would probably be questioning the fact that they’re still playing.
“Who knows what he’s going to do but I don’t think there’ll be many people inside the top 40 thinking of retiring.
“I’ve had a couple of messages with him. Nothing crazy because it was a tough match and he’s obviously going to be a little bit hurt from that one.
“We were just speaking about the present and I’m sure we’ll speak about what’s happening in a few days.”
