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Andy Murray may have retired from tennis but he has rarely stayed out of the headlines since hanging up his racket in the summer.
The 37-year-old, who bowed out from playing at the Paris Olympics at the start of August, stunned the sporting world last month by announcing he was making a sensational return to the game as a coach to former rival Novak Djokovic.
The two men – who, to date, have won a combined 145 singles titles between them – shared a fierce rivalry on court but are now uniting, with Murray joining Djokovic’s coaching set-up for the Australian Open in January.
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Tennis fans will be eagerly awaiting seeing the two greats team up in the new year, but Murray has found plenty of ways to keep himself occupied until then, with retirement seeing him take on several new challenges as well as spending more time with his wife Kim and four children. Here’s what you need to know.
New TV role
Murray’s new coaching job is not the only new role he has taken on in retirement, as he is also set to star in an upcoming TV advert in Australia. The Herald Sun reports that the former tennis ace will play an action man who is being chased through the streets of Melbourne in the ad, which ends dramatically with him diving through the window of a Chinatown restaurant.
Murray was photographed with a fake cut on his face, as well as wearing his signature Castore kit covered in mud, while shooting the advert in the Australian city earlier this month.
“I’m seeing a different Melbourne this time. I’ve not been around some of these parts before and it’s been good fun,” Murray said while shooting the ad. “It’s a big shoot. I’ve never done anything like this before because I never had the time. But it’s fun to do something like this.”
Since retiring, the Scot has also been honing his skills on the golf course as he aims to achieve a scratch handicap. Currently playing off a seven handicap, Murray made his debut at the prestigious BMW PGA Championship’s Pro-Am in Wentworth earlier this year, before winning the inaugural BTJA Mike Dickson Golf Day at Hanbury Manor Golf Club in Hertfordshire.
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.”
Decision after split from Kim
Murray married Kim Sears – the daughter of tennis coach Nigel Sears – in 2015, having met her at a US Open party a decade earlier.
The couple dated for around nine years before tying the knot in the tennis star’s hometown of Dunblane and are now parents to four children – Sophia, eight, Edie, six, Teddy, four, and Lola, three.
However, their relationship has not always been smooth sailing and they shockingly split up in 2009, with Kim ‘winning custody’ of their dog Maggie. But the break-up only lasted six months and they were soon back together, with Murray making a big decision.
“I work better in a relationship,” he admitted. “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.”
Since getting back together, the couple have never looked back with Murray effusive in his praise of his wife during interviews. He told 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.”
Net worth
For a man who achieved so much on the tennis court, it is perhaps unsurprising that Murray has a huge estimated net worth.
With 46 titles to his name – including two Wimbledon championships, three Olympic gold medals and a US Open win – the Scot banked over £50 million in prize money alone during his career.
But those winnings are bolstered by his substantial earnings through endorsement deals and sponsorship partnerships with the likes of Jaguar, Castore, Under Armour and Head. Over the years, the tennis ace has also collaborated with other major brands including Amazon Prime Video, Standard Life and American Express.
All in all, Murray is estimated to have a staggering net worth of around £85 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. However, some other sources suggest it could in fact be closer to £100 million.
The tennis star has invested much of his wealth in property, splashing out on a £5 million mansion in Surrey and a luxury flat in Miami among others. Since 2013, he and Kim have owned the five-star Cromlix House Hotel in Dunblane – the venue for their wedding two years later.
The luxury hotel, which sits in 34 acres of private grounds and woodland, has 10 bedrooms, five suites and a one bedroom lodge, as well as its own private chapel, tennis court, pickleball court and a restaurant run by an award-winning chef. It was constructed as a Victorian mansion but was completely renovated by the Murray’s when they took it over, with room prices tending to range from between £350 to £950 per night according to KAYAK.