Jamie Murray will run Queen’s and then play alongside brother Andy at Wimbledon
The resilience of Jamie Murray’s fraternal relationship could be tested over the next month, as he goes from running the Queen’s event to playing alongside younger brother Andy at Wimbledon.
At the former tournament, the elder Murray will have to negotiate court assignments and scheduling times with his brother’s representatives. At the latter, he will be advising him which tactics to deploy.
Asked how he would deal with any complaints from his more famous sibling, Jamie replied: “Ultimately I hope it doesn’t come to that, but you never know what is going to happen [during an event]. Scheduling, weather, whatever. It is not like the [Queen’s] tournament is going to radically change from any other year because I am in this role. We will cross that bridge when we cross it.”
Jamie, who at 38 is a year older than Andy, stands among the most successful players this country has produced, with two major titles in men’s doubles and five in the mixed format. He is still competitive on the tour, with a ranking of No 24 in the world, but has not really threatened to add another major to his trophy cabinet since a runner-up finish at the 2021 US Open.
So when the Lawn Tennis Association offered him a role as Queen’s tournament director – an idea prompted by his successful staging of the “Battle of the Brits” exhibition in Aberdeen in 2022 – he was quick to accept.
“They had spoken to me a few years ago about it but I didn’t feel ready,” Jamie told reporters. “After the tournament last year, they asked me again, and I felt more at peace with doing it. The hardest thing for me was not playing the tournament, but given the circumstances, my age and everything, I felt like I couldn’t really pass it up.”
Asked how long he intends to keep playing, he replied: “I don’t know. It depends on a few things. Rankings, enjoying travelling, injuries, that sort of stuff. I could see myself playing for another two or three years for sure. Guys are going into their 40s now. I haven’t had any big injuries in my career or surgeries or anything like that, but last year was the first time that I had to miss events.”
Tennis tournaments are increasingly handing these figurehead roles to former, or even current, players who can empathise with those in the locker room. Former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo is the tournament director of the French Open, while James Blake “runs” (in a loose sense) the Miami Open and Laura Robson the Nottingham Open, although in each case they actually benefit from a team of administrative staff who shoulder the majority of the workload.
In Jamie Murray’s case, he was understandably reluctant to answer awkward questions about next year’s Queen’s revamp, which will see women controversially returning to Baron’s Court for the first time in more than 50 years. Initially, Murray suggested that the shift was “above my paygrade”. After more prodding, though, he explained that he would be reluctant to run the new women’s event because the groundwork would have to be laid during the second week of the French Open.
“I would say that would be a red flag on my part – or their part if they want me to do the women’s event as well,” said Murray. “But let’s see what happens. I haven’t even done the event anyway. Maybe I b----s it up [and they’ll say] ‘That is enough of your time here. Get back to playing!’
“Of course, the Centre Court won’t look absolutely pristine on Monday at 12 o’clock [for the men],” added Murray, “which is what everyone’s used to. But the courts will still play amazingly well. I’m sure some [male] players raised eyebrows and worried about the court not being amazing [because the women will have had first dibs], but I think once they turn up and see what it’s like, those concerns are gonna go away.”
