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.
“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
