'Kids asked me to build them something, and I was terrible,' said Andy Murray

The three-time Major champion Andy Murray became a father for the fourth time a few weeks ago, with his wife and him adding another member to their already lovely family.

Struggling with injuries in recent years and spending a lot of time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, Andy has had a chance to spend more time with his family than ever before. Murray has been trying to keep his kids entertained despite struggling to draw animals for them or build some exciting things, never being good in that stuff but doing his best to make them happy.

Read also

Andy Murray withdraws from Miami Open with a groin issue

"In my younger years, I always used to travel with my PlayStation. I didn't go out and see the sights or do touristy things. And I kind of regret that now; I wish I had done it a bit more. Because we got to go to some amazing places and travel all round the world. So yes, I regret that a little now - because it was such a great opportunity to see amazing things. But, usually, when we arrived, we would train. But tennis is a bit different from some of the 'true' Olympic sports. Some athletes have been preparing for the event for four years. For tennis, it sits beside the Majors. I've seen interviews with athletes who have been prepping for two, three, four years - dedicating a large part of their lives to getting ready.

Having it pushed back and then canceled last year, and then the uncertainty of not knowing if it will go ahead this year? It's tough. It's hard because of the amount of work and the sacrifice they've made. For me, it's not the same. I love playing in the Olympics, and I've been fortunate to compete in three of them. For some other athletes, that is the focal point and highlight of their careers, so it has been really tough for them. For the first two months of lockdown, I did all the training at home. I was doing a lot of cardio work and, for the first time in my life, I did some road biking.

Read also

'Uncle Toni quit because he was tired of traveling,' said Rafael Nadal

To begin with, I got a bike to be able to go out and exercise. But I got quite into it and enjoyed it. When I finish playing tennis, I want to do more cycling. I live 20 minutes south of Wimbledon in Surrey. So I cycled around Box Hill, where they did some of the Olympic road racing. I had two or three routes I was doing consistently. And, because I'm competitive, I saw if I could beat my times each week and if I was getting fitter. I enjoyed going up the hills; it was tough, but I loved it. I've got three kids, and my wife was pregnant. Trying to balance the professional and the family life was tricky.

The first few weeks, I was getting up at 5:30 am to do my gym sessions before the kids woke up. But, after a few weeks, I was like, 'This is not worth it.' I quickly realized I couldn't do that every morning. You know what, I learned more about what I couldn't do. Because, when I was home with the kids and stuff, I was trying to find all sorts of things to keep them entertained. And there were periods in the lockdown where they asked me to draw different animals - my wife is an artist, and she paints well. But they also want me to do it – and I'm dreadful at it. And building stuff, or anything creative, wasn't better either.

Read also

'I can still challenge rivals from the top and seek Wimbledon title,' said Murray

I've never done any of it. My kids are desperate for me to build things for them. So yes, I probably learned more about what I can't do – and that I'm only good at a few things - like hand-eye coordination and a few different sports! I love sport, so something else that would interest me post-playing would be working in another sport. I got asked about this a little while ago, and because I like golf, being a caddy on a golf tour would be exciting – to be up close and personal with top golfers and learn about another sport like that.

There's probably also some crossover between tennis and golf on the mental side and things, and helping a golfer with that might be interesting. Or getting my coaching badges in football – that would be fun. Hopefully, I can continue working with the younger athletes after my playing career. Because, as I say, I feel like I made quite a lot of career mistakes on that front when I was younger. And now, I want to help other athletes and stop them from making those same mistakes," Andy Murray said.