- Jamie Murray suffered early defeats in both the mixed and men’s doubles
- 39-year-old was playing in his first Wimbledon since his brother’s retirement
- He and fellow Brit Laura Robson broke a world record prior to the tournament
Jamie Murray’s first Wimbledon without famous brother Andy didn’t go to plan with early defeats in the doubles, but he has earned a new claim to fame by breaking a world record.
Before the tournament, he and fellow Brit Laura Robson exchanged a rally of 101 shots whilst travelling at 29mph in adjacent cars on a breezy day at Duxford Airfield near Cambridge.
‘We were pretty pleased with ourselves,’ chuckles Jamie, who was tied to a harness on a bespoke roof rack so he wouldn’t fall off as he traded shots.
‘We couldn’t move our feet because we were locked into position so we had to be really precise with our shots – a bit of performance pressure.
‘It was a cool challenge though I’m not sure we’ll be seeing it on the practice courts anytime soon!’
For most of his career, Jamie has lived in the shadow of his younger sibling, regarded one of Britain’s greatest-ever sportsmen.
It’s probably unfair given that Jamie’s seven Grand Slam titles (two men’s doubles and five mixed) hasn’t been bettered by any British man in the Open era.
Now 39-years-old, he thinks there is still more to come, even though his appearance at this year’s Wimbledon was brief with first round defeats partnering Rajeev Ram and Emily Appleton.
‘I always had a mental block about playing past 40 but I’m just about there now with my next birthday in February and I still want to play next year for sure. So I guess I’ll be going into my forties,’ he says.
‘I’m still enjoying travelling and competing. My ranking is good enough to play the top events and you’re a long time retired.
‘I haven’t had any real injuries or surgeries or anything like that. My body still feels pretty good. I haven’t played particularly well in the last couple of years but I’m starting to get my act together now.
‘I still think I can do well at these big events. I was struggling with my serve which is the most important shot in the game but I definitely have more confidence with it just now.’
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James are proof that sporting careers can last longer these days.
‘We have access to so many recovery techniques and sports science these days,’ acknowledges Jamie. ‘Better nutrition, massages, cryotherapy, all of it helps.
‘It is fair to say I’m in the twilight of my career and I don’t think you will see me still out there at 45 but I’m also aware it won’t be easy to recreate the feeling of playing a big match in front of a lot of people against the best players in the world.’
He laughs at recently having ‘shown up in a suit’ as tournament director at Queen’s Club. His good nature and calm demeanour would make him a natural for tennis administration should he choose that route.
Even the inevitable ‘Andy questions’ that come up don’t ruffle him.
Jamie was a dutiful older brother last year to team up with Andy for his farewell doubles at Wimbledon, even though he knew Junior was no longer physically fit enough to be competitive.
Neither does there seem to be any resentment at having had his own career play second fiddle to Andy, the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles since Fred Perry.
Jamie points out that although they don’t see each other as regularly since Andy’s departure from tour, their time together now is more like normal brothers rather than two tennis players.
‘I’m still travelling 30 weeks a year and need to train, and he’s got four kids which keeps him busy with after-school activities and all that stuff,’ explains Jamie.
‘So we probably see each other less now, but when we do it’s nicer to be honest. Quality time, they call it!
‘We don’t do anything out of the ordinary or too crazy. We have played golf a few times. Sometimes we bump into each other in Wimbledon (where they both live) or go round to the house.
‘I’ve achieved a lot in tennis and had a lot of great moments but ultimately it’s singles that gets all the headlines. I understand that.
‘It’s not necessarily something I craved. I’m happy with my career and proud of what I’ve achieved. It doesn’t necessarily matter if people write about it or not. I’m not losing sleep over it.’
Jamie Murray and Laura Robson broke a Guinness World record by completing a rally of 101 consecutive shots as the Lexus NX became the latest court for the stars to play on.
