ANDY Murray yesterday outlined his determination to guide the next generation of elite talent through the pitfalls of a life in sport.
It came as he made his teenage countryman and fellow tennis player Aidan McHugh one of the first signings to his management agency, 77 Sports Management.
The teenager from Glasgow, who went as far at Junior Wimbledon this summer as Murray ever managed, has already benefited from the Murray family’s assistance with invites to training blocks and hitting sessions. He is joined on the three-time Grand Slam winner and former World No 1’s embryonic roster by British sprinting sisters Shannon and Cheriece Hylton, both 20. Shannon, a 200m sprinter, narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot at the World Championships in London, while Cheriece will represent England at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast in April.
Murray and his team will manage all areas of their careers, with recruits able to access the same sports science, nutrition, facilities, and commercial resources and expertise which he can call upon. The 30-year-old is keen to act as a mentor to all three, using his experience from a career in the sport to help guide their decisions.
“When you start out on a career in sport, it’s not easy for athletes or their families to make the right decisions or find the right people to trust,” said Murray, who formed 77 Sports Management in 2016 with two of his business partners, Matt Gentry and Gawain Davies. “Growing up I made decisions that, with experience, I might not have made now. These three athletes we are working with are all bright, hard-working athletes, who are doing plenty of things right. But if I can offer them some advice along the way, then great. I’m looking forward to building a stable of talent across a variety of different sports, and with my team of advisors, helping them be the best they can be.”
Murray – who still hopes to return to competitive tennis ahead of the Australian Open in January – admitted on a television interview that he would have planned his career differently if he had his time again.
“I signed with a management company for the first time when I was 12, 13 years old, which to me is ridiculous. It’s way, way too young. You don’t need that pressure. You’re trying to become a professional and certainly my parents were not experienced in dealing with those situations. You can get yourself into trouble by signing long-term contracts that might not be in your best interests. Things like that you can avoid if you have the right people around you.
“This is something that interests me a lot. I want to work with the best British athletes, whether that’s male or female.”
McHugh, already the British junior No 2, jets out to Miami shortly for a second successive winter training block with Jamie and perhaps Andy, having hit with the latter most days at Wimbledon. “I’ll try to get as much as I can from it in terms of my knowledge of tennis,” McHugh said. “The fact he has won slams and is still thinking of helping youngsters with their tennis shows how much he wants to help the younger generation.”
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