Andy Murray: ‘My future might not even involve tennis’

Andy Murray has arrived on Court Number 3 at Wimbledon, after a 40-minute delay. It’s not down to rain, but rather lunch. Sushi, not strawberries. As he takes up position for our shoot wearing a navy suit and a jumper the colour of the SW19 sky, there’s cause for relief on two counts. 

One: he’s here and making time for us during his busiest period of the year, grass court season. Two: his life doesn’t run to the scary levels of clockwork suggested when his team sent through the schedule on Saturday, according to which he wasn’t due to eat until 3:50pm. Given that he’s come straight from a morning’s hard training, who can begrudge the two-time Wimbledon champion a few minutes to refuel?

“This was the first court I ever played on at Wimbledon,” says Murray to the spectators assembled: his agent, Telegraph’s stylist and Wimbledon representatives, as well as people from his long-time sponsor Amex and even a gaggle of young groundsmen.

He first competed in 2005 as an 18-year-old, reaching the third round that year, going on to win the title in 2013 and 2016. He comes here a lot during the year, he tells me later off-court, but “I don’t get the goosebumps or butterflies every time. When the tournament is on, I do. It’s not the same place. There’s a different energy to it. I feel more aware of the history of the tournament.”

The past three years for Murray have been about trying to rediscover not just his world-class form after his hip replacement in 2019, but his love for the sport after experiencing pain so fierce that at times he couldn’t walk.

Murray is now injury-free and optimistic about the forthcoming Championships. Two weeks ago, he lost in Stuttgart after twice receiving treatment on court for abdominal pain during