Sir Andy Murray may be one of the greatest sports talents to represent Great Britain. The 35-year-old is a self-described family man off the court, though. Since 2015, Andy and Kim, his childhood sweetheart whom he met through her father, have been married. Nigel Slater, a tennis instructor, at a 2005 US Open party.
Tennis is in Andy and Kim’s blood, so it’s no surprise that their eldest child enjoys the sport. When asked this week if they play tennis, Andy said HELLO!
“A little bit – my eldest daughter is enjoying playing now and the others are getting into it, although the youngest two are still a bit small to hit a ball yet.”
The three-time Grand Slam winner proceeded by calling his wife Kim the kindest person he ever has met. Kim has been a great support system for him throughout his illustrious career and has always been there for him.
“My wife is the kindest, for continuing to allow me to follow my dream and play tennis,”
he stated.
As the tennis season is winding down, the tennis star is looking forward to celebrating Christmas with his loved ones.
“For me, this time of year is the end of the tennis season, so it’s a bit of a time to reflect, and also it means I get to be at home with my family,”
he explained.
“That’s probably the best thing for me. I miss them all so much when I’m away.”
Andy said he’d go to Australia for the Australian Open when asked what tennis fans may expect from him.
“I’ve got a pretty busy schedule planned,”
he added.
“I’ll be kicking off the year in Australia which I always really enjoy.“
“I’ll be playing a tournament out there, and then the Australian Open. After that, I’ll be doing some more hard-court tournaments, then hopefully the clay, and then back to the UK for the grass-court season.”
Regarding Wimbledon? “Yes, that’s the plan,”
he noted.
Despite having a number of injuries, Andy’s goal is still to win games.
“For now, I’m still focussed on playing tennis and winning matches,”
he stated.
“I’ve been pleased with my progress this year, but there are definitely some areas to improve on.
‘It was amazing and pretty emotional’ – Andy on Roger’s farewell game
“I’ll be doing a training block in December so we’ll be hoping to identify some of those areas and work on them, so hopefully I can get some more wins under my belt next year.”
Andy will, fortunately, have the tennis player batting away any nerves.
“I don’t really get nervous in the same way as I used to, which is down to experience I guess,”
he explained.
“I enjoy stepping out in front of a crowd – it was one of the things I really missed during Covid.
“Playing in front of empty stadiums just isn’t the same. I think a few nerves are good – it helps to sharpen your senses, so it’s not really a problem for me.”
When asked if there’s anything he wanted to pursue that required stepping outside of his comfort zone, he said.
Andy mentioned a sport he’s been wanting to pursue, but he won’t be able to till he retires.
“Sky diving – it’s been on my bucket list for ages, but I can’t do it while I’m playing tennis,”
the Scottish star said.
“So that will be one of the first things I do when I stop playing.”
Fans of tennis will have witnessed Andy compete in his first-ever Laver Cup match in September. Along with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, he played in his final match.
“It was amazing and pretty emotional,”
Andy said of Roger’s farewell game.
“I really enjoyed the whole Laver Cup – it was my first time playing that event, and being there for Roger’s last game was extra special.”
Andy, a two-time Wimbledon winner, and well-known racket-smashing tennis player enjoy playing padel tennis. The popular new sport is expanding quickly.
After his exhibition match at the Shepherd’s Bush Westfield shopping center in London, he spoke with HELLO! The 35-year-old made reference to the change from tennis to padel.
“It’s actually pretty easy to make the transition from tennis,”
he shared.
“There are a few tricky shots that you have to get used to – there’s one shot you play off the back wall, a bit as you do in squash, and it took a few attempts!
“But in general I think it’s a great game. Lots of fun, there was lots of laughter on the court and the rallies tend to be longer than in tennis.”
Andy provided the following reasons for wanting to introduce the sport to the UK:
“I think there is huge potential for padel to grow in the UK, especially in urban areas, like the court here in Westfield that Game4Padel put in today.
“It’s exciting to see a new sport really gaining momentum – you don’t see new sports taking off in a big way very often – so I hope lots of people come and try it out either here or at some of the other courts across the country.”
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