Andy Murray’s most beloved (and exhausting!) job

Retirement usually comes with a promise of travelling, lazy mornings, and plenty of time to do your gardening.

But for tennis legend Andy Murray, 37, who says ‘lay-ins don’t happen’ for a busy parent of four, the hard work now begins as he admitted to wanting to spend ‘more time with his children’.

He and wife Kim Sears, 36, share Sophia, eight, Edie, seven, Teddie, five, and three-year-old Lola.

And as the former World Number One’s glowing tennis career comes to an end, it appears to be the perfect time to focus on father duties.

‘I don’t know what I will do tonight,’ he told BBC Sport after bowing out of the sport at the Olympics. ‘I can do whatever I want now, but I want to go home and spend time with my children.’ 

But it would seem that bonding over tennis with his kids over tennis is not on the cards.

While his eldest – eight-year-old Sophia – was reportedly playing tennis once a week aged five, his younger daughter Edie has hilariously dismissed lessons from her pro dad in the past.

Last year, she penned an adorably funny note to Andy, claiming she is ‘not going to play tennis for a while’ because he ‘stands too close’ to her.

To accentuate her point, Edie drew her father holding a tennis racket with a red cross through it. 

Sharing the constructive criticism on Instagram, Andy quipped: ‘My first venture into the coaching world has ended in disgrace.’

The former tennis pro has in past revealed how becoming a father changed his attitude towards his career.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday in 2016, he explained: ‘Becoming a parent is life-changing and if it helps my tennis, great. 

‘And if it doesn’t, that’s fine. That’s not a problem for me now. My priority is to be a good father first.

‘Id rather be getting up in the middle of the night and helping [with Sophia] than winning every tennis match and her thinking when she grows up: “Actually, you know what, he was a s****y dad but he won a lot of tennis matches so, you know, well done.”‘

What’s more, Andy has also said that having children has given him some much-needed perspective at times.

He told the Guardian in 2016: ‘[Fatherhood] is a positive thing – and tennis not being your priority can help. It lends perspective when you have a bad loss or bad practice. 

‘The outcome of a match is not everything but I want my daughter to be proud of her dad when she grows up and sees what I did. I hope it works out in a positive way on the court but if it doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world.’

Speaking to This Morning’s Alison Hammond in 2021, the tennis star said his proudest achievement is getting all four children to bed on time. 

He also revealed that his eldest daughter, Sophia, plays tennis once a week.

Andy’s family has also often been a supportive force at his matches as well, with Kim cheering him from the stands and sometimes bringing their children to the matches. 

Last year, he enjoyed a Father’s Day surprise after clinching the Nottingham Open – as the British athlete spotted his four kids watching from the stands. 

In the emotional moment, Andy stopped his acceptance speech after catching a glimpse of his family – none of whom he knew were attending the match, telling a delighted audience: ‘I had no idea they were coming!’

During his post match on-court interview, he was clearly none the wiser that any of his kids were there in person, saying: ‘Hopefully I’ll get back home tonight, see my kids for Father’s Day.

‘Hopefully I’ll get in before their bed time, get a rest day in tomorrow, get pumped for Queens.’

It was at that point he heard cheering in the stands, looked up and saw his supportive family all gathered, with wife Kim, wearing black cat-eye sunglasses, smiling back at him and holding the couple’s youngest child. 

Genuinely shocked, Andy counted his children, saying ‘they’re all here’ and admitted he had ‘no idea’ they were coming to watch. 

He said: ‘Oh my god, I didn’t know they were here. I had no idea they were coming.’

He added: ‘They came last week for the final at Surbiton, they turned up and it started raining, so then they had to go home for the kids’ bedtime. 

‘They missed the end of the match, so it’s great that they managed to come today. I don’t know how many of them are here – they’re all here – thanks guys.’ 

Kim could often be spotted in the stands while her partner of 19 years battled it out on the court.

Sussex-born Miss Sears, who has an English Literature degree, met Andy at the US Open in 2005. Her father is player-turned-coach Nigel Sears. 

Their meeting came long before he acquired fame and fortune. She was only 17 at the time and Andy was her first serious boyfriend.

The couple managed to keep their relationship quiet – until Murray won his first tournament in California in 2006 and ran through the crowd to give his girlfriend a kiss.

Kim, who was 18 at the time and still studying at school, said that she asked her mother to call in sick for her, but pictures of them were splashed over all the papers. 

Andy said of his then girlfriend: ‘I’m lucky. I know she isn’t with me because I’m in the spotlight.’

The couple briefly split for six months in 2009 but are now stronger than ever with their young family. They previously share a multi-million pound mansion in Oxshott, Surrey, but are in 2022 understood to have moved to Leatherhead, according to the Daily Record.

In 2013, after being together for eight years, Andy revealed in his book Eventually, Andy Murray: Seventy-Seven: My Road to Wimbledon Glory, that he could see himself starting a family with his then long-term girlfriend. 

The pair got engaged in 2014 after nine years of dating and having denied being engaged several times prior. In 2015, the couple’s wedding was dubbed the Scottish wedding of the year as they tied the knot at Dunblane Cathedral.

Andy admitted in 2019 that he had been ‘quite selfish’ after suffering a hip injury that threatened to end his tennis career and put a strain on his marriage. 

He said his chronic hip pain left him feeling ‘down’ and affected his relationship with wife Kim after he was forced to take a break from the sport.

Triple Grand Slam winner admitted he had neglected to think about the feelings of those close to him during his lengthy lay-off. But he insisted his wife Kim had been ‘brilliant’ throughout the ordeal, encouraging him to return to the sport.

Their fourth child was born in lockdown in March 2021. The Murrays didn’t confirm their previous pregnancy until a week before Kim was due, after she sparked speculation she was expecting when she arrived at Wimbledon in 2019 wearing a maternity-style polka dot top while supporting her husband in the mixed doubles. 

The Murrays didn’t confirm their previous pregnancy until a week before Kim was due, after she sparked speculation she was expecting when she arrived at Wimbledon in 2019 wearing a maternity-style polka dot top while supporting her husband in the mixed doubles. 

Yesterday, the father-of-four displayed his signature sense of humour just minutes after his Olympic exit.

He bowed out of the sport as he and his Team GB partner Dan Evans were beaten in straight sets by USA duo Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the doubles quarter-final. 

Prior to the Games starting, Andy announced that he would retire from the sport upon the completion of the event at Paris 2024.

And the 37-year-old cut an emotional figure as he waved to fans at Court Suzanne Lenglen, before a tennis court for the final time in his career.

However, it didn’t take him long to find his usual wit as he took to social media app X to joke about it all. ‘Never even liked tennis anyway,’ posted Murray.

With retirement looming over his head throughout the tournament, Murray admitted he is now ready for the next stage of his life.

Speaking to BBC Sport following the loss, he said: ‘I have been ready for this moment for the last few months since I had the operation on my back – I knew it was the right time and I feel lucky to come and compete here. 

‘I am grateful to Dan Evans for putting in the effort he did to give us a good chance to having a great run. I am looking forward to stopping now.

‘I gave as much as I could to the sport and I love competing in the Olympic Games. These weeks are so special and I will definitely miss them – I have done everything I could to prepare for this event. 

‘It would have been a fairytale ending to win a medal, but it wasn’t to be. Proud to be a part of Team GB and I will miss it.’