Andy Murray is an inspirational figure, even in retirement.
The British superstar won three Grand Slam titles during his career, ending his nation’s near-eight decade wait for a male Wimbledon champion.
Murray won his first major title at the 2012 US Open, beating Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller.
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Murray became Great Britain’s first male Grand Slam champion in 76 years. Fred Perry had been the last to triumph, winning the 1936 US Open.
In the immediate aftermath of his US Open victory, Murray expressed his aspirations for British tennis.
Andy Murray hoped to inspire more British children to play tennis
“Yeah, I mean, when you’re on the court, you don’t necessarily feel it, but I know when I was serving for the match, there’s a sense of how, you know, how big a moment that is in British tennis history really,” Murray said of his achievement during the post-match press conference.
“So, you know, that obviously adds to it. I know more than most, you know, British players, I have been asked about it many times when I got close to winning Grand Slams before.
“I get asked about it more and more even after I won the Olympics. I still got asked, When are you going to win a Grand Slam?”
Murray famously won his first OIympic gold medal in 2012, beating Roger Federer in the final.
The victory came just weeks after Murray’s loss to Federer in the Wimbledon final.
So, yeah, it’s great to have finally done it,” Murray continued in New York. “And I said in one of the interviews after the match, I hope now it inspires some kids to play tennis and also takes away the notion that British tennis players choke or don’t win or it’s not a good sport.
“You know, it’s in a very good place in the UK right now. Obviously Laura [Robson] has done very well. The Olympics was great for us.
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“Liam Broady was in the final here in the juniors. It’s in a good place. I hope it stays that way.”
Murray went on to achieve greatness in the sport, continuously inspiring the next generation of tennis players in Great Britain.
The Brit won his first Wimbledon title in 2013 and added a second in 2016.
He also won a second Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Comparing British tennis participation from 2015 to 2025
There has been a significant increase in tennis participation in the United Kingdom since 2012.
A survey by Sport England, as reported by Statista, found that around 1.05 million participants played tennis at least twice a month between November 2024 and November 2025.
| Years | Estimated number of British people who played tennis at least twice a month |
| 2015-16 | 889,300 |
| 2016-17 | 865,100 |
| 2017-18 | 840,200 |
| 2018-19 | 754,900 |
| 2019-20 | 739,900 |
| 2020-21 | 641,800 |
| 2021-22 | 915,000 |
| 2022-23 | 861,000 |
| 2023-24 | 910,100 |
| 2024-25 | 1,047,400 |
In 2015, the figure was around 889,300.
Another Statista survey found that between 2017 and 2014, the number of children participating in tennis [in the week prior to the survey being conducted] had stayed roughly the same.
The figure was around 7.9 per cent from 2017 to 2018, and 7.8 per cent from 2023 to 2024.
