Andy Murray remains the foremost British tennis star of recent memory, and for that reason, remains hugely relevant even two years into his retirement from the sport.
However, he has hardly gone into hiding since playing his last game at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside Dan Evans.
In fact, it could be argued that he has taken two of the highest-profile jobs that were on offer, starting with Novak Djokovic, before Jack Draper then hired Murray as his coach just last month.
His continued presence within the tennis world, matched by his unwavering stature, makes his opinion hugely respected.
So, when Murray outlines his distaste with potential changes to Wimbledon, it’s worth listening.
Andy Murray gives his thoughts on Wimbledon copying the US Open
Speaking to The Telegraph in an effort to promote his new YouTube channel alongside brother Jamie Andy Murray, he spent the bulk of the interview explaining why he has opted for this unorthodox outlet rather than joining the mainstream media in a punditry role.
And whilst this provided a fascinating insight, inarguably his most meaningful comments came when asked about proposed changes that would see Wimbledon become a three-week event, not too dissimilar to the US Open, which has added a star-studded mixed doubles event to its first qualifying week.
Whilst this has never been possible at the All England Club due to disputes over acquiring more land, at last this seems to be a hurdle they are set to overcome.
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However, Murray still doesn’t seem sold on the idea: “Should they do the third week at Wimbledon?. I don’t necessarily love the three-week thing for the players, personally.
“It’s the intensity around the event. One of the things that I loved about Wimbledon was the old middle Sunday [which began to stage play regularly in 2022], or the week beforehand, when it was quiet there.
“This is the biggest tournament of the year, and then when you add an extra week on site – with cameras everywhere now except in the locker room – there’s nowhere to switch off. At Wimbledon, if they have fans across the road [in what used to be Wimbledon Park Golf Course] to watch the qualifying, I hope they’ll keep an area where the players can practise in privacy at Aorangi Park [the roped-off area at the top of the existing site].
“I think it’s fair to be able to train a little bit in privacy at times. You know, football teams don’t have fans coming in to watch their practice sessions, and cameras listening into everything that the coaches are saying… unless it’s Southampton.”
Andy Murray’s perfect start to coaching Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper
It has been a perfect start to life as Draper’s coach for Murray, who yesterday saw his player put in a near-flawless performance to beat Gabriel Diallo in straight sets.
Completely nullifying the big-serving Canadian who should’ve been more of a threat on the grass, there were certainly shades of the Scotsman in Draper’s game, particularly in his movement and the way he returned.
They are due to play the Eastbourne International semi-final today, in what is very much a wide-open draw that the 23-year-old should feel confident of progressing.
How excited are you for Andy Murray to join Jack Draper’s team?
What a signing!
However, this is not the first time that Murray has inspired instant success when coaching.
In his very first event by Djokovic’s side, he helped inspire the 24-time major champion to an Australian Open semi-final, where he was forced to retire after losing the first set to Alexander Zverev.
