"I was expecting to find retirement hard": Andy Murray finding surprise enjoyment in post tennis life
ATP
Andy Murray has admitted that he is finding retirement easier than he expected and won't be going the route for instance of Juan Martin del Potro who struggled to come to terms with his career ending.
Murray said that he thought he would struggle though and that he would be missing the tour. But that it is anything but after spending some time with his family and friends in recent months.
"Since I've stopped, I feel really free and have got lots of time to do whatever it is I want," Murray said to BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"I can dedicate time to my children and have free time to play golf or go to the gym on my own terms. It is really nice and I didn't expect that. I was expecting to find retirement hard and be missing tennis a lot and wanting to get back on the tennis court on tour. So far it has been the complete opposite to what I was thinking."
"The thing that I always found difficult in recent years was that there was always a guilt associated with what I was doing," he continued.
"If I was going away for a trip of like three to four weeks I would feel guilty leaving my children at home or being away from my wife for a long time with them, so missing the kids I found hard. But if I was at home with the kids then I was running around and spending a lot of my time on my feet after training.
"I was then thinking 'is this going to affect my training or performance the next day, should I have my feet up?' I found that stuff difficult over the last few years."
He also opened up on the British expectation both from the media and the fans that he had to maintain no matter if he was successful or not.
"It was really hard for me at times, reaching the final at Wimbledon and being criticised for your work or feeling you are not good enough," he said.
"Which I think is wrong, and I don't know if that would be the case in every country.
"It might have not been the case, but my perception was I was feeling I was being attacked even when I was doing really well, and that was pretty hard."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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