He’s Walked the Walk – Andy Murray Praised as the Perfect Mentor Across All Sports After he…
Sir Andy Murray would be a perfect mentor for athletes in all Scottish sports, believes golfer Richie Ramsay.
Murray brought the curtain down on a stellar tennis career at the Paris Olympics.
The 37-year-old featured at the Pro-Am prior to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week, partnering compatriot Robert MacIntyre.
Ramsay told BBC Scotland it could be a game changer for many athletes should they be able to tap into the knowledge of the former world number one.
“If he was willing to do it, he should be a mentor for the elite athletes in Scotland as anybody in their right mind would jump at that opportunity,” he said.
“If he walks in a room, it stops. And, if he says something, I’m laser-focused on what he is saying because it means so much.
“He’s walked the walk and that’s why there’s such a huge amount of respect. You can hear what the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal say about him. He’s pretty iconic really.”
The three-time Grand Slam champion and double Olympic gold medallist has an agency, 77 Sports Management, although the tennis division was closed down when he agreed a deal with IMG last year.
Murray, who has four young children, appears to have ruled out a move into coaching any time soon, citing his reluctance to travel.
But Ramsay thinks someone with Murray’s experience would be an ideal foil for Rory McIlroy as the world number three from Northern Ireland seeks to complete the all-time grand slam of golf.
Only the Masters is missing from McIlroy’s list of major successes, while the 35-year-old has not won a major since the 2014 Open.
In 2013, Murray ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon and in 2015 he inspired a first Davis Cup win in 79 years.
“If I was Rory, I’d be flying Andy Murray out and tapping into his brain as he’s got the same pressure situation when it comes to the Masters,” added Ramsay.
“He should be asking him how to prepare for it as he’s one of the few people in the world who’ve had that same pressure he now has.”
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Andy Murray was very, very good at tennis.
He won two Wimbledon men’s championships, one US Open, one ATP Final, two Olympic gold medals and a total of 46 career titles worldwide.
His ability to withstand pressure was never in doubt.
But on Wednesday of Wentworth week at the BMW PGA Championship he found himself under a different sort of stress, playing in the tournament pro-am alongside his fellow Scotsman Robert MacIntyre.
“I was pretty nervous,” he admitted afterwards, remembering in particular a duffed approach to the eighth that ended up in water. “I couldn’t really feel my arms and legs, and I didn’t really hit any balls on the range beforehand.”
He plays to a handicap of 7.0 so he’s pretty good with clubs instead of rackets in his hand and two holes after his error at the eighth he spoke to Nick Dougherty on Sky Sports.
Off the court ➡️ On the course ⛳️
Andy Murray playing in the BMW Championship Pro-Am pic.twitter.com/DwkbgzqFPp
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) September 18, 2024
Once the formalities were over, Murray was asked if there is any tennis skill set that crosses over into golf.
“Oh, I think definitely,” he said.
“It’s the mental side of it because, you know, in a tennis match we play – what is it? – a hundred or a hundred and fifty points and they all matter but what you cannot do is compound your errors.
“When I started playing golf I’d hit it in the rough and I’d be thinking that I’ve got to make the green but I’d only end up duffing it 20 feet in front of me.
“And, just as in tennis, you can’t afford to do that. Your mistakes can’t bleed into three, four, five in a row.
“I hope that’s something I’m doing okay on the golf course having learned it on the court.”
After his experience of playing 18 holes with MacIntyre – winner of this year’s Canadian and Scottish Opens – Murray knew there was something the professionals have that he will cannot replicate however.
“The biggest difference for me is that they swing so hard at the ball and yet stay so still and in control,” he said.
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