World No.1 Andy Murray could only continue playing on the tour for two more years before retiring according to his mum Judy.
Ms Murray has expressed fears over Scotland’s ability to build a legacy on Murray’s achievements before he steps away from the sport. Murray is hoping to build a tennis academy near his home town of Dunblane, but it is yet to be approved by the local council.
Speaking to the media at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, former Fed Cup captain Judy said plans were given to the Scottish government a year ago without further discussions. She has now warned that her son could retire from the sport before the plan goes ahead.
“I think the thing that worries me now is that Andy may not play for much longer, he has been around for maybe ten, twelve years, playing on the ATP tour at the top of the game.” Ms Murray said on Tuesday.
“And there has been plenty of time to start to build a legacy and to capitalise on it, and there just hasn’t been done.
“My worry is that if you want to build a base somewhere, which is what I am trying to do, it’s going to take two years to build it, and by the time it is built, he has stopped playing.”
30-year-old Murray hasn’t played a match since Wimbledon after taking time out to nurse a hip injury. As a consequence, he will lose his No.1 ranking next week to Rafael Nadal. Murray is also is likely to enter the US Open without playing a warm-up tournament.
Speaking about his absence from the tour, Judy believes that the sports demanding schedule has taken its toll on the three-time grand slam champion. The ATP Tour spans over 11 months each year between January – November. Two top 10 players have already ended their season early due to injury issues – Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka. Roger Federer also did the same last year.
“The last two years have taken a lot out of him,” she told Reuters.
“But the tennis calendar is relentless, it’s 11 months of the year, there’s hardly any gaps to have a rest and I kind of feel that it’s all caught up on him.”
A change in plans?
The comments from Murray’s mum is a sharp contrast to what the Brit said earlier in the season. In June he vowed to continue playing for as long as possible and hoped to feature in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“I don’t want to stop in two years. I want to keep playing. Who knows where I am going to be in a few years. When I go out, I’m really trying to get better and learn stuff and improve. There’s a point to me doing it.”
The two contrasting statements have raised questions about if Murray has changed his future plans due to his recent hip issue. At the moment he does not require surgery to correct the problem, but it still remains a possibility for the future.
So far this season, the 30-year-old has claimed one title on the tour at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Overall, he has achieved a win-loss record of 25-10.
Murray’s next scheduled tournament, the US Open, will get underway on August 28th.
