Andy Murray focusing on return on investment both on and off the court
As the Brit wrestles with the continuation of his on-court tennis career following his first round exit from the 2024 Australian Open, Murray's business and charity interests are flourishing off it.
Tennis
"Hi everyone," posted Andy from London on LinkedIn in November. "I’m excited to be joining LinkedIn," enthused the newbie to the business and employment-focused social media platform.
So far, so normal.
"Although I spend most of my time on a tennis court," continued this Andy fella, "I have a real interest in business. I'll be using this platform to share updates on the business ventures I’ve invested in, important information from the charities I work with, and news from on and off the court. Stay tuned for more!"
Turns out 'Andy' is none other than Andy Murray, the three-time Grand Slam tennis champion, two-time Olympic gold medallist and one of the best sports people that Great Britain has ever produced. Yes, THAT, Andy Murray.
The 36-year-old Scot joined LinkedIn in November 2023, but the former world number one wasn't just uploading his résumé and touting for work as his decades-long tennis career winds down.
The Brit has been curating a business portfolio and involved with numerous charity initiatives alongside his tennis career for quite some time, and after a disappointing first round exit at the 2024 Australian Open on Monday (15 January), Murray could be spending more time on his interests off the court, particularly after suggesting that this year's event at Melbourne Park could be his last.
This has been said before.
In the immediate aftermath of a disappointing result in 2019, knocked out by Spain's Bautista Agut in the first round, in an epic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-2 tussle, an emotional Murray announced the tournament could be his final Australian Open appearance – and possibly his final tournament full stop. But another word got lost in the melee of the subsequent 'goodbye Andy' outpourings. "Maybe," he added.
Following the rapid exit, Murray had a second hip operation, and glimpses of the flare of the Brit's play of old returned. At the 2023 Australian Open, an epic encounter saw Murray eventually get the better of Thanasi Kokkinakis, playing in front of his home fans, to reach the third round in five thrilling sets over five hours.
But a sobering finale to the 2023 season – he won two matches in his last five events – was giving the Davis Cup winner pause for thought.
"If I was in a situation like I was at the end of last year," Murray told BBC Sport in an interview in December, "then I probably wouldn't go again.
"But then if physically I'm doing well and my results are good and I'm playing well, then that's enjoyable and I could see myself still playing."
If he's not fighting in the latter stages of a tournament and roaring his way through five setters against the best in the world, then the reward of all the time and effort he famously puts into his training isn't worth it for Murray, especially spending lengthy periods away from home and wife Kim and their four young kids.
There are still four more major tennis tournaments to come in 2024. Roland Garros hosts both the French Open from 20 May-9 June and also the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which starts 26 July.
The scene of Murray's breakthrough and greatest triumphs – Wimbledon – in which he claimed Olympic gold at London 2012 before securing a first British win in the men's Grand Slam event for 77 years 12 months later – takes place 1-14 July.
The US Open rounds out the year's majors from 26 Aug - 8 Sept.
But while Murray wrestles with his on-court retirement decision, his business life and charity work is thriving. Olympics.com takes a look.
Andy Murray invested in padel
Unsurprisingly, sport takes a front seat in Murray's burgeoning investment portfolio with the increasingly popular padel currently a strong focus.
A loose mix of tennis and squash that uses much smaller racquets than Murray currently wields, glass-backed walls from which the ball rebounds, and with courts more than half the size of the tennis version, padel became an investment vehicle for Murray a few years ago when he backed the UK court operator Game4Padel.
Murray has gone one step further by going into team management, launching professional padel franchise, Team AD/vantage, in November.
The side will compete at the upcoming Hexagon Cup tournament, which will take place in Madrid in February 2024 and carries a €1m prize pool. Other teams confirmed to enter include one from the Rafa Nadal Academy, one from Barcelona footballer Robert Lewandowski, actress Eva Longoria is also a team owner, and there's also a fan-led side.
“I’m excited to become part of the ownership group for a team in the inaugural Hexagon Cup," said Murray, who will no doubt be hoping his experience on the Fantasy Football Manager computer game will come to the fore.
Globally, padel is estimated to be worth two billion euros per year, and the forecast is for that to treble in size over the next three years, observed the Financial Times in November.
"I invested in Game4Padel a few years ago to help try and grow the sport in the UK," said Murray, "it’s already huge in South America, the Middle East and parts of Europe."
But for Murray, who chooses investments carefully, selecting ones that also help improve societal issues such as obesity and loneliness, padel offers more than just financial reward.
“I love the fact it’s easy to play, fun and social, so it will get people of all ages and abilities picking up a racket and giving it a go."
Andy Murray, backing the business Brits
Murray selected his first three businesses to back at the start-up stage almost a decade ago, aged 28.
The trio of early-stage businesses were Tossed, a salad retail chain specialising in Fairtrade, free range and locally sourced produce; Trillenium, a builder of online shopping experiences; and the Fuel Ventures Fund, a venture capital outfit that fuels the growth of ambitious tech companies.
“The three businesses I’ve chosen to kick off my crowdfunding investment portfolio are all in areas of industry I find interesting,” he said in an interview with Business Life in 2015. “Healthy eating is something I have to be passionate about as a sportsman... and the other two businesses are really pushing the boundaries of technology."
It's not just the businesses Murray is backing, but the owners, too: “It’s important to me that I back people who I believe have the same dedication, hunger and professional standards as myself and always strive to be their best.”
Pride of Dunblane
Other interests include the award-winning five-star hotel, Cromlix, an exquisite Victorian mansion and estate owned by Kim and Andy Murray situated just outside his home town of Dunblane.
This particular passion project enabled them to keep their personal connection to the area, particularly important to them after a horrific incident at the brothers' primary school in 1996.
In what remains Britain's worst-ever mass shooting, 16 children were killed, along with their teacher, when local man Thomas Hamilton broke into the gymnasium of Dunblane Primary School.
Andy and Jamie were both at the school at the time, and remain profoundly impacted by the tragedy, which has manifested in being community driven.
In happier times, the hotel has been the venue for many a family gathering, starting with Andy’s grandparents, Roy and Shirley Erskine, holding their silver wedding anniversary there in 1982, the first function at the venue after being converted from a family home.
Since then, numerous celebrations have followed including Andy’s wedding reception in 2015, and brother and fellow Grand Slam winner, Jamie Murray, got married there in 2010.
Of his sporting success, Andy said, "It's just nice I've been able to do something that the town is proud of".
On or off the court, Andy Murray continues to be the pride of Dunblane.