"We had to overcome Andy being so humble": Andy Murray set to take to the stage ahead of Wimbledon

Former world number one and three-time Grand Slam title winner Andy Murray has announced a stage show with Wimbledon just over the horizon.

Murray has announced an interactive show that will take place on four different dates across the UK. This show will feature all the best moments of the British tennis icon’s career and will include video footage in the background to further enhance the experience. Throughout the show, Murray will share anecdotes about how he felt during certain moments and offer insight into life on the professional circuit. Fans will have to lock their phones away in pouches to unlock the true VIP experience.

The shows will begin with the first scheduled for the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow, the city where Murray was born, on June 18. His show will then move to the Playhouse in Edinburgh the very next day. After this, Murray heads to London for his first show at the Eventim Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday, June 21, before concluding at the New Wimbledon Theatre on June 29, the night before Wimbledon gets underway. Interest is clearly high for this show, as Murray’s Edinburgh appearance sold out within 20 minutes, and other dates, including the shows at Wimbledon and Hammersmith, also sold out within a day of release.

Chris Helliar, an agent of IMG Tennis, spoke openly to The Hollywood Reporter about Murray’s legacy post retirement: “He’s one of the few tennis players who really transcends the sport. He’s also unique in the sense that he’s very intelligent and very articulate. And he has a great sense of humor and is very knowledgeable about many different topics". Helliar would go on to say more about why Murray thought this was the best choice for him post retirement: “Many of those ideas are still being talked about. We thought about the tour idea then, but it was after Andy retired that we sat down with him and went through a bunch of different ideas, and this was one that really stood out to him. It was a chance for him to speak to his fans".

It’s clear that this show isn’t just a spur-of-the-moment thing, as Chris Helliar also revealed that they had been brainstorming ideas since Murray was still an active player, but needed to make sure the show was authentic: “Show business is so showy that there was a conversation we had about how to present this in a way that is very Andy Murray. When communicating it to fans, it had to feel like it came from the man himself, so that we could ensure the authenticity of this experience".

Meera Patel, who is the tour marketing agent for WME, has given further updates on the upcoming tour: “The concept of the tour and its announcement had to be such that fans knew straight away what they were going to watch, because for a tour, especially one that’s not music-based, you don’t really know what you’re going to see". More information on the tour followed: “We had to make sure the wording was right, even down to the press shots that we put out, the artwork. Even in terms of video, we used a clip of one of his last interviews that was so raw and so emotional. Even when I watch it now, I still get goosebumps".

There has been a different twist announced for the show, which will enhance the experience: “Given the exclusive and intimate nature of the event, the show will be a phoneless experience, and all mobiles will be placed in lockable Yondr pouches.” This was announced on the tour website but it remains to be seen how this will be monitored.

Murray was very passionate about giving his true fans the chance to purchase tickets for the show, and as such, there were pre-sales taking place through the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Association as well as Andy Murray’s hotel in Scotland. Patel would say, “We ran pre-sales through them 48 hours before the general on-sale to give them the exclusivity that you would give music fans, and it worked really well. They helped with our marketing as well".

Fans can be very excited about this show and all it has to offer. Murray is an icon of the sport and is sure to have some incredible stories.