Early Life and Career
Andrew Barron Murray was born on May 15, 1987, in Glasgow, Scotland, to Judy and William Murray. He grew up in Dunblane and began playing tennis at the age of three. Judy, a former competitive tennis player, tutored Andy and his older brother, Jamie, when they were little.
In March 1996, while Murray, then eight years old, was sitting in his classroom at Dunblane Primary School, an armed man named Thomas Hamilton entered the building and shot and killed 17 people — 16 pupils and one teacher — before turning the pistol on himself. Murray escaped and hid in his headmaster’s office throughout the horrific tragedy.
Tennis was not Murray’s sole sport growing up. He also played soccer and was recruited by the local professional club, the Glasgow Rangers, but chose to focus on tennis instead.
Murray won the Orange Bowl in his age group at the age of 12 in 1999, his first major youth championship. After winning the U.S. Open junior title in 2004, he became the world’s No. 1 junior. He was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year later that year.
Professional Tennis Career
Murray made his professional debut in April 2005, shortly after being the youngest British player to compete in the Davis Cup. Murray defeated top-ranked Roger Federer in Round 2 of the Cincinnati Masters tournament in 2006, thanks to new coach Brad Gilbert. Also that year, he overcame Andy Roddick on his way to his maiden ATP victory, the SAP Open. Murray won his second consecutive SAP Open in 2007, as well as the St. Petersburg Open, to break into the top ten rankings.
Murray rose to prominence after defeating Spanish wonder Rafael Nadal in the 2008 U.S. Open final, when he was defeated by Federer. In 2009, he rose to No. 2 in the world, and he finished runner-up in the Australian Open in both 2010 and 2011.
Murray reached the Wimbledon final for the first time in 2012 after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals. Murray’s victory made Scotland and the entire United Kingdom proud, as he was the first British tennis pro to reach the Wimbledon men’s final since 1938. However, Murray was defeated in the final by Federer, who won his seventh Wimbledon title.
Murray created history that summer by overcoming Djokovic to win the Wimbledon men’s singles championship after losing to him at the 2013 Australian Open. He was the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years, and only the second Scottish-born player to accomplish it since Harold Mahony in 1896.
Murray had back surgery in September 2013 after losing in the quarterfinals of the US Open. For much of the 2014 season, his performance was poor, but he made headlines by signing former women’s champion Amelie Mauresmo as his coach.
When he reached his fourth Australian Open final in early 2015, the Scottish player appeared to be back on track. In March of that year, he won his 500th career race at the Miami Open.
Murray then had a remarkable run at the 2015 French Open, overcoming a two-set deficit in the semifinals before losing to Djokovic. A few weeks later, he reached the Wimbledon semifinals, but his chances of advancing were dashed by Federer. Murray’s subsequent fourth-round exit at the US Open not only ended his last major title bid in 2015, but it also ended his string of 18 straight Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances.
Murray started the 2016 season strong, reaching the Australian Open final before falling to his rival, Djokovic. However, he avenged himself by defeating Djokovic in the Italian Open in May and then maintaining his high level of play throughout the French Open. Murray became the first British player to reach the French Open final since 1937 with his semifinal victory over defending champion Stan Wawrinka. However, his pursuit for another Slam title fell short as he was once again defeated by a blazing Djokovic attack.
Murray reached the Wimbledon semifinals in July 2016 after defeating Jo Wilfried-Tsonga. He defeated Milos Raonic, the first Canadian man to reach the Wimbledon final, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in the final. Murray’s triumph was his third Grand Slam title.
Murray continued his stellar play the following month by defeating Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the Rio Olympics, becoming the first male tennis player to successfully defend his Olympic singles championship. For the first time, he was ranked No. 1 in the world in men’s tennis in November.
Injuries
Murray was hampered by a nagging hip issue for much of 2017, forcing him to retire from the US Open in late summer. The following January, he underwent surgery.
Murray returned to professional tennis in June 2018 and was back in Grand Slam action at that year’s U.S. Open, but he struggled to find his form after surgery.
Murray said just before the start of the 2019 Australian Open that his hip was still affecting him and that he would likely retire by the end of Wimbledon that summer, if not sooner. However, after suffering through a first-round defeat, he stated that he might have another procedure to recover movement on the court. In January 2019, he underwent BHR surgery.
Comeback
Murray returned to professional tennis in June 2019, competing in tournaments such as the Queen’s Club Championships, Wimbledon, the Canadian Open, and the Winston-Salem Open. Murray also competed in the mixed doubles category at Wimbledon, partnering up with Serena Williams. The fan favorites were eliminated in the third round.
Murray, on the other hand, didn’t stay down for long. That October, he won the European Open in Antwerp with an emotional triumph over Stan Wawrinka, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Murray’s most recent title, and 46th overall, marked his first tournament victory in two years, during which he battled injury and considered retiring. “It means a lot,” Murray remarked following the victory. “These past few years have been extremely difficult.”
Professional tennis was suspended for months beginning in March 2020 because to the COVID-19 pandemic. Murray returned to the court in June, and after the ATP Tour resumed in August, he competed in the Cincinnati Masters, U.S. Open, and Roland Garros.
Murray had a mediocre season in 2021, reaching the quarterfinals of only two lesser tournaments. In June, he was nominated to Great Britain’s Olympic tennis team, marking his fourth appearance at the Summer games, which were held in Tokyo that summer. However, due to a quad strain, the defending singles winner withdrew before his first match, opting to compete solely in doubles with partner Joe Salisbury. They were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
Murray reached the final of the Sydney Tennis Classic in 2022, losing to Russian-born Aslan Karatsev, who was then rated No. 20 to Murray’s No. 135. The Scotsman then defeated another top 25 player in the first round of the Australian Open before bowing out in the second. It was the first of three Grand Slams he competed in that year, the others being Wimbledon and the United States Open later in the summer. Murray won his 700th career match in March against Japan’s Taro Daniel in what was undoubtedly his biggest moment of the year. He is only the 18th male player since 1968 to accomplish this milestone.
In 2023, the former world No. 1 player has gained some momentum, winning lesser tournaments in Aix-en-Provence, France, as well as Surbiton and Nottingham, England. He also made it to the finals of a competition in Doha, Qatar, but was defeated by Russian heavyweight Daniil Medvedev. Murray’s victories on grass in the British events were a good sign for his entry into Wimbledon in July, but the two-time tournament champion was defeated in a two-day, five-set encounter against No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. Murray led 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2), 6-4 until the second-round match was called off due to time constraints. Murray couldn’t hold on the next day, losing 6-7 (3), 4-6 in the final two sets.
Personal Life
Murray married longterm fiancée Kim Sears in April 2015 at Dunblane Cathedral in his hometown. Nigel Sears, a prominent tennis teacher, is Sears’ father.
Murray and Sears have four children: Sophia, born in February 2016, Edie, born in November 2017, Teddy, born in 2019, and an unnamed fourth child due in 2021.
Murray and his wife, Kim Sears, bought Cromlix, a five-star hotel in Dunblane, Scotland, in 2013. Sears plays a significant role in the operations. Cromlix also hosted the couple’s wedding celebration.
Murray also co-founded the sports marketing agency 77 Sports Management and the AMC athletic gear line, a collaboration with British sportswear giant Castore.
To finish off 2016, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Murray in the annual New Year Honors for his contributions to tennis and philanthropy. During a 2019 ceremony, he was presented with his medal by then-Prince Charles.
Murray has previously donated to various organisations, including Malaria No More UK, the World Wildlife Fund, and UNICEF UK. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that year, he gave an additional $630,000 in award money to UNICEF. His humanitarian efforts have also garnered him the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award twice, in 2014 and 2022.