Andy Murray and Kim Sears were married in 2015 (Image: 2014 GC Images)
The tennis legend is thriving in a completely new sport after retiring earlier this year.
It’s less than three months since Andy Murray officially retired from tennis, but he’s wasted no time in getting stuck in to his new life.
The tennis legend has taken up golf and competed in several tournaments already as he gets to grips with a sport he has always loved but now has more time than ever to play.
Of course, Murray retired as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with his record on the court speaking for itself. Over the course of his career, he won 46 titles, including two Wimbledon and one US Open championship, as well as three Olympic medals.
New life after tennis
Since bowing out at the Olympics at the start of August, the Scot has been honing his skills on the golf course as he aims to achieve a scratch handicap. He’s even updated his Twitter profile to reflect the new chapter in his life, changing it from “I play tennis” to “I played tennis. I now play golf.”
Currently playing off a seven handicap, Murray made his debut at the prestigious BMW PGA Championship’s Pro-Am in Wentworth last month, before taking part at the inaugural BTJA Mike Dickson Golf Day at Hanbury Manor Golf Club in Hertfordshire.]
The special event was established by the British Tennis Journalists’ Association in honour of former Daily Mail journalist Mike Dickson, who died in January at age 59, and Murray was decared as the day’s winner.
Scottish golfer Robert MacIntyre played alongside the former tennis ace at Wentworth and was impressed by what he saw, as he said: “For someone that’s not really played that much, I thought he was good. I was very impressed with his game. He’ll be scratch in no time.”
Speaking about now competing at golf tournaments, Murray said: “It’s a different sort of nerves, because you are comfortable in the sort of tennis environment. I’m not thinking I’m going to walk out on the tennis court and forget how to hit the ball.
“Whereas here, there’s people standing five metres away from where I’m driving, and I’m like, I’m useless at this game. You just want to try and keep the ball in play and don’t mess up too much.”
“I’m obviously getting to practice a lot more than the average person,” he added. “I obviously played a bit when I was younger, and if I can get the right sort of lessons and practise the right things, then yeah, I’ve got a chance of doing that.”
Asked about his retirement plans earlier this year, Murray said: “I don’t know exactly what the rest of my life will look like, but I will still stay in touch with the sport. Initially, I want to be at home with my family. I want to spend a lot of time with my kids and my wife, so I won’t be on the road much, I know that.”
“I’ll play a lot of golf,” he added. “I want to become a scratch golfer. I’ve always loved playing golf, but because of the issues with my back, I haven’t played for five or six years. I would also love to be part of the next Olympics in some capacity, but I don’t have any clear plans on what it is I’m going to do from a work perspective.”
Marriage to Kim and foul-mouthed outburst
Murray has been married to Kim Sears – the daughter of tennis coach Nigel Sears – since 2015, having met at a party during the US Open a decade earlier.
They dated for around nine years before tying the knot in the tennis star’s hometown of Dunblane. However, their relationship had hit a bump in the road a few years earlier, as they shockingly split up in 2009 with Kim ‘winning custody’ of their dog Maggie.
But while they split for six months, they were soon back together with Murray making a big decision and admitting: “I work better in a relationship. At the end of the day, especially if I’ve lost a match, I don’t like talking about tennis, so it’s nice to have someone to talk to about other stuff.”
They are now parents to four children – Sophia, eight, Edie, six, Teddy, four, and Lola, three – with Kim often seen supporting her husband during his tennis career, as well as away from the court. Since 2013, they have owned their wedding venue, the five-star Cromlix House Hotel, while Kim is also a talented artist and had a website called Brushes and Paws where she would share her portraits of animals and flowers.
Murray has often spoken about his gratitude to his wife for her support, telling the New York Times: “She doesn’t like being in the newspapers, and people commenting on what she’s wearing and how she looks, and those sorts of things. That’s one of the things that I guess she’s also sacrificed, a little bit, for our relationship, and I appreciate that a lot.
“You’re in these huge cities meeting new people all the time and it would be easy to get your head turned,” he added. “But Kim’s always been there for me. She really cares about me and helps with so many things. She always has. That’s why we have such a great relationship.”
However, Kim took her passionate support of her husband a bit too far in 2015. During Murray’s Wimbledon semi-final win against Tomas Berdych, the camera panned to her in the stands and she caught on live TV saying: “F****** have that you flash Czech f***”.
Murray defended her following the match, saying: “When there’s a lot of tension surrounding something, which you [the media] created [by referring to the fact his former assistant coach Dani Vallverdu then coached Berdych], then it’s completely normal.
“The whole first set everyone was tight. My physical trainer, physio, I’m sure for Dani it was uncomfortable. Even Tomas, who very rarely says anything on the court, there was tension there for him, as well. Yeah, in the heat of the moment you can say stuff that you regret. And, yeah, that’s it.”
However, the pair could later laugh about it as Kim appeared at the men’s final in a T-shirt that read ‘Parental Advisory: Explicit Content’. Meanwhile, after being awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s New Year Honours the following year, Murray joked that his wife would have to mind her language upon becoming a Lady, as he laughed: “She’s going to have to [do] no more swearing during my matches any more, for any of you who saw that a few years ago.”
Net worth
As one of the most successful players of all time, Murray has banked over £50million in prize money alone during his illustrious career.
These winnings are bolstered by his substantial earnings through endorsement deals and sponsorship partnerships, with big names like Jaguar, Castore, Under Armour and Head all working with the tennis ace. Over the years, he’s also collaborated with other major brands such as Amazon Prime Video, Standard Life and American Express.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, these deals and winnings mean he has an estimated net worth of around £85million, although some sources suggest it could be closer to £100million.
As well as the hotel he owns with Kim, Murray has also splashed out on other properties including a £5 million mansion in Surrey and a a luxury flat in Miami.
