Andy Murray: “I’m looking for something I’m really passionate about”

Andy Murray is thinking about a new career path after his painful exit from Wimbledon this year.

The ex-world No. 1 had high hopes going into the tournament, but was knocked out early, losing in the second round to fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a five-set epic.

The 36-year-old expressed his frustration after the match, and hinted that he may not play at the SW19 again next year, and that he could be close to hanging up his racket.

“Losing in the second round, I don’t find that motivating. It’s not why I put all of the work in. It’s similar to last year, I guess. I had a long think about things, spoke to my family, and decided to keep on going. I’m unbelievably disappointed and upset now. Maybe I will feel different in a few days but right now it doesn’t feel good.”

Murray has had a hard time with injuries that nearly forced him to quit the sport four years ago, after winning two Wimbledon titles and becoming world No. 1 in 2016. He managed to come back to the court after hip surgery, but has not reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam since 2017.

The Scot shared his thoughts on retirement and what he would do after tennis, speaking to British Airways High Life magazine.

“It’s only in the last 18 months or so that I’ve started to think about my future after tennis. I’ve heard stories from ex-players and other athletes who’ve made no plans for retiring, and they finish and all of a sudden, it’s, ‘What am I going to do with myself?

“I was chatting to them about things that I might want to get involved in or really don’t want to get involved in, just starting to get a few ideas together. I’m looking for something I’m really passionate about and that I want to work really hard at to achieve a specific goal. One area that ticks that box is coaching, but not necessarily in tennis. I’ll definitely want to keep busy.”

Murray would join a distinguished group of Grand Slam winners who have become respected coaches in tennis, if he chooses to pursue a coaching career. Some examples are Goran Ivanisevic and Juan Carlos Ferraro.

The three-time Grand Slam champion has many options for the future.