Andy Murray

Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 41 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 in 2016. Murray won 46 ATP Tour singles titles, including three majors at the 2012 US Open, 2013 Wimbledon Championships, and 2016 Wimbledon Championships. He also won two gold medals at the Summer Olympics, the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals, 14 Masters events, and contested a total of eleven major finals.

Murray began his professional career around the time Rafael Nadal established himself as one of two dominant players in men's tennis, Roger Federer being the other player. Murray had immediate success on the ATP Tour, making his top 10 debut in 2007 at age 19. By 2010, Murray and Novak Djokovic had joined Federer and Nadal in the Big Four, the group of players who dominated men's tennis for most of the 2010s. Murray initially struggled against the rest of the Big Four, losing his first four major finals, but won the gold medal final against Federer at the 2012 London Olympics gold medal. He then defeated Djokovic in the final of the 2012 US Open, becoming the first British major singles champion since Virginia Wade in 1977. He then beat Djokovic to win Wimbledon in 2013, the first home champion at the men's event since Fred Perry in 1936. After an injury-marred 2014, he bounced back in 2015, helping Great Britain to its first Davis Cup title in the Open Era, winning a record 11 rubbers in the event.

Murray had his career-best season in 2016, when he made the finals of the first three majors of the year and winning his second Wimbledon crown. He defended his Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics to become the only player, male or female, to win two Olympic gold medals in singles. Murray also became world No. 1 for the first time on 7 November 2016, and clinched the ATP year-end No. 1 ranking and ITF World Champion crown by winning the ATP Finals title over Djokovic. This solidified his place in the 'Big Four'. After 2016 he struggled with a hip injury that required major hip-resurfacing surgery. Upon his return, Murray won a final tour title at the 2019 European Open and rose back to the top 50 but failed to reach his previous level, never again getting beyond the third round of a major. He retired from the sport after a run to the quarter-finals of the men's doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Murray possessed one of the most consistent two-handed backhands on the ATP Tour and helped re-establish Great Britain as a leading force in men's tennis. Murray has been outspoken on issues of equality, and became only the second top-10 player in the history of the ATP Tour to have a female coach when he hired Amélie Mauresmo in 2014. Shortly following his playing career, Murray took up a coaching partnership with his former rival Djokovic for the 2025 Australian Open.

Early and personal life

Andy Murray was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of Judy Murray (née Erskine) and William Murray. His maternal grandfather, Roy Erskine, was a professional footballer in the late 1950s. Murray is a supporter of Hibernian Football Club, one of the teams his grandfather represented, and Arsenal Football Club. Murray began playing tennis at the age of three, when his mother Judy took him to play on the local courts. He played in his first competitive tournament at age five and by the time he was eight he was competing with adults in the Central District Tennis League. Murray's elder brother, Jamie, is also a professional tennis player.

Murray grew up in Dunblane and attended Dunblane Primary School. Both he and his brother were present during the 1996 Dunblane school massacre, when Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and a teacher before shooting himself; Murray took cover in a classroom. Murray says he was too young to understand what was happening and is generally reluctant to talk about it in interviews, but in his autobiography Hitting Back he states that he attended a youth group run by Hamilton and his mother gave Hamilton lifts in her car. Murray later attended Dunblane High School.

Murray's parents split up when he was 10, with the boys living with their father while being mentored in tennis by their mother. He believes this could be the reason behind his competitive spirit. At 15, he was asked to train with Rangers Football Club at their School of Excellence, but declined, opting to focus on his tennis career. He then decided to move to Barcelona, Spain. There he trained on the clay courts of the Sánchez-Casal Academy, coached by Pato Alvarez, and also spent time studying at the Schiller International School. Murray described this time as "a big sacrifice". His parents had to pay £40,000 for his 18-month stay. In Spain, he trained with Emilio Sánchez, former world No. 1 doubles player.

Murray was born with a bipartite patella, a condition in which the kneecap remains as two separate bones instead of fusing together in early childhood. It was not diagnosed until he was aged 16. He has been seen holding his knee due to the pain caused by the condition and has withdrawn from tournaments because of it.

In February 2013, Murray bought Cromlix House hotel near Dunblane for £1.8 million. The hotel had been closed since 2012, but Murray reopened it in April 2014. Later that month Murray was awarded the freedom of Stirling and received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Stirling in recognition of his services to tennis.

Murray began dating Kim Sears, daughter of player-turned-coach Nigel Sears, in 2005. Their engagement was announced in November 2014, and they married on 11 April 2015 at Dunblane Cathedral. The couple previously lived in Oxshott, Surrey, but in 2022, moved to nearby Leatherhead. The newly constructed house will accommodate their young family, consisting of their son and three daughters; the youngest, a girl, was born in March 2021.

Murray has been repeatedly vocal in his support for women players and coaches. He is also a vocal supporter of LGBT+ rights and supports same-sex marriage. In June 2020, he also lent his support to the Black Lives Matter movement, when he and fellow players took a knee during the Schroders Battle of the Brits exhibition tournament.

In May 2025, Murray's net worth was estimated to be £110 million by the Sunday Times Rich List.

Junior career

Leon Smith, Murray's tennis coach from 11 to 17, described Murray as "unbelievably competitive", while Murray attributes his abilities to the motivation gained from losing to his older brother Jamie. In 1999 Murray was a champion in the Orange Bowl, an international tournament for junior players, winning in the 12-year-old category.

In January 2001, Murray participated in the Petits As tournament, an event for players under 14, and it was here that he began his rivalry with Novak Djokovic, beating him 6–0, 6–1 in the quarterfinals. In the semis, Murray overcame Mischa Zverev, but lost the final to Russia's Alexandre Krasnoroutskiy. He then led the British team to victory in the European Winter Cup and won a title in Telford, finishing the season as the No. 2 in the ETA ranking for U14s, only behind Djokovic.

In July 2003, Murray started out on the Challenger and Futures circuit. In his first tournament, he reached the quarter-finals of the Manchester Challenger. In September, Murray won his first senior title by taking the Glasgow Futures event. He also reached the semi-finals of the Edinburgh Futures event.

For the first six months of 2004, Murray had a knee injury and could not play. In July 2004, Murray played a Challenger event in Nottingham, where he lost to future Grand Slam finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round. Murray then went on to win Futures events in Xàtiva and Rome.

In September 2004, he won the Junior US Open and was selected for the Davis Cup World Group play-off match against Austria later that month; however, he was not selected to play. Later that year, he won BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.

As a junior, Murray reached as high as No. 6 in the world in 2003 (and No. 8 in doubles). In the 2004-instated combined rankings, he reached No. 2 in the world.

Junior Slam results

• Australian Open: –
• French Open: SF (2005)
• Wimbledon: 3R (2004)
• US Open: W (2004)

Professional career

2000s

2005: Turning professional

Murray began 2005 ranked No. 407, but whilst in South America in January he injured his back and was forced to take three months off.

In March, he became the youngest Briton to play in the Davis Cup. Murray turned professional in April and was given a wild card entry to a clay-court tournament in Barcelona, the Open SEAT, where he lost in three sets to Jan Hernych. In April, Murray parted acrimoniously from his coach Pato Alvarez, complaining about his negative attitude. Murray then reached the semi-finals of the boys' French Open, where he lost in straight sets to Marin Čilić.