Most professional tennis players dream of moving into tennis coaching or a television role once their playing days are over, but Andy Murray is not one of them as he is eyeing a switch over to golf or football, but not as a player.
The 33-year-old’s tennis career has been stop-start since he underwent a career-saving hip resurfacing operation in January 2019, but he still has high hopes of winning big tournaments, including a third Wimbledon trophy, before he hangs up his racket for good.
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Once he calls it a day don’t expect to see him take up a role as a coach in the sport that he loves as he hopes to become a golf caddy or a football coach.
In an interview with The Gentlemen’s Journal, he revealed: “I love sport so something else that would interest me post-playing would be working in another sport. I got asked about this a little while ago and, because I really like golf, being a caddy on a golf tour would be exciting – to be up close and personal with top golfers and to learn about another sport like that.
He added: “There’s probably also some crossover between tennis and golf on the mental side and things and helping a golfer with that might be interesting. Or getting my coaching badges in football – that would be fun.”
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The former world No 1 already has a lot of business interests outside of tennis as he has a stake in premium sportswear brand Castore while he also owns 77 Sports Management.
And he hopes by going into sports management he will help youngsters to avoid the mistakes he made when he was a teenager.
“Me and my brother first signed a deal with a management company when were 12 or 13-years-old. And you rely on these experts to help guide you — but I don’t think management companies always have their athletes’ best interests at heart. Signing athletes at 12 or 13 suggests that they don’t.
He continued: “Because, you know, does a kid really need the pressure of one of the biggest management companies in world sport looking after them at that age? I don’t know if that’s the right message to send. So yes, there are a lot of things that I wish I had done differently. And that’s one of the mistakes, for sure, I made when I was younger.”
And while being a golf caddy or a football coach might be something he could pursue after tennis, it doesn’t mean he won’t be involved in sports management.
“Hopefully I can continue working with the younger athletes after my playing career,” he said. “Because, as I say, I feel like I made quite a lot of career mistakes on that front when I was younger. And now, I want to help other athletes — and stop them from making those same mistakes.”
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