My memo to Andy Murray – just take a bloody break! ...Middle East

In the nicest way possible, I don’t want to see Andy Murray’s face again this year.

That isn’t a threat, nor are we on speaking terms anyway (although I’d happily relinquish this wish for a round of golf), but seriously, let news of his split with Novak Djokovic be the last we hear from Murray until 2026.

Allow me to explain.

Tennis is relentless. Take Murray’s annus mirabilis, 2016, when he grafted his way to the summit of the world rankings.

His singles campaign started in Melbourne and ended in London, taking in five continents along the way, including a jaunt down to Rio de Janeiro to defend his Olympic title in between Wimbledon and the US Open.

A post shared by Novak Djokovic (@djokernole)

Just counting tournament to tournament, Murray clocked more than 60,000 miles that year – some two-and-a-half times around the world – and yet he barely saw anything that wasn’t a hotel, airport or tennis court.

Get the violin out, many will say, especially as Murray picked up more than £10m in 2016 alone, but tennis is undeniably exhausting, boasting arguably the most demanding schedule of any sport – mainly because of the travel.

“We’re road warriors,” Roger Federer said in 2021, and after retiring a year later the Swiss great noted, ironically in Tokyo: “It never lets you go, your next travel, your next packing. It rides with you, until you retire and then you realise that stress all drops away.

“Once that all drops away you actually feel lighter, relieved that you can actually live normally again after 25 years.”

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Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic end coaching arrangement

Since retiring, Federer has fleetingly popped back into the public sphere: showing his face for sponsors, watching a little tennis here and there, playing the odd charity event, and becoming what he calls a “professional driver” for his four children.

He comes into view, wears a suit, dazzles the adoring crowd, then slinks back to family life. It’s entirely in keeping with the Federer that graced the courts during his glittering career.

It’s safe to say Murray has remained on brand, too. Anyone who watched him play, or caught glimpses behind the scenes in the BBC’s Andy Murray: Will to Win or Prime Video’s Andy Murray: Resurfacing documentaries, saw a workaholic who was desperate not to give it all up. Tennis was all he knew, and he was largely – beyond a small faction of Englishmen – loved for it.

This work ethic took him to the top. He achieved world No 1 status by the end of 2016, and despite the injury problems that followed he doggedly persevered, only relenting a metal hip and several other surgeries later when playing the final match of his career on 1 August last year.

Retirement prompted much speculation as to what his next step would be. Coaching seemed possible later down the line, a stint with the BBC for Wimbledon felt inevitable, but beyond lowering his golf handicap and dedicating more time to his family Murray was, understandably, uncertain himself.

That is until a phone call in November.

“I was on the 17th hole of the golf course and the guy I was playing with said to me, ‘Do you know what’s next’? I was like, ‘No, not really’,” Murray said.

“He said ‘Do you have any plans to do any coaching’? And I said, ‘Honestly, I can’t think of anything worse to do right now’.

“And then 30 minutes later I was in the car and I called Novak, and then we had a conversation, and he asked if I would be interested in helping, which I obviously wasn’t expecting. I said to him, ‘Look, I need to think about it and talk to my family’. So I spoke to them and, after a couple of days, I thought that it was a pretty unique opportunity and experience.”

So there Murray was in Melbourne, five months into his retirement, beginning his first calendar year away from the tennis circuit by spending time on the tennis circuit with old rival Djokovic.

This wasn’t necessary for Murray, but it wasn’t surprising either. It felt like the come down he needed, a chance to shout with purpose and feel the rush without having to play.

Going cold turkey on tennis was never going to suit Murray’s temperament, but what was perhaps more unexpected was the decision to continue this partnership beyond the Australian Open, where Djokovic had retired hurt in the semi-finals.

It wasn’t exactly full-time for Murray, he headed to Val-d’Isere with wife Kim in April – only his second ski trip just months after his first saw him struggle with the ski lifts and rescued by snowmobile – but in Djokovic’s words this union was “indefinite”.

A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray)

Murray therefore returned to what he knew, heading for airports and tennis complexes to remain in Djokovic’s corner – carrying his bags, handing out the tennis balls and dishing out a slice of his own grand-slam-winning advice – at tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid.

But from Australia to the US to Spain, silverware eluded Djokovic. He is still searching for ATP title No 100, a landmark only Jimmy Connors (109) and Federer (103) have reached, with a shock loss in the Miami final as close as he has come this year.

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And following an early exit in Madrid, change is afoot ahead of the French Open, with Murray leaving the camp.

“Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun and support over last six months on and off the court – really enjoyed deepening our friendship together,” Djokovic said on Tuesday.

Murray himself added: “Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together, and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months. I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”

The inevitable question for Murray is, again, what now? Wimbledon is around the corner, and while he may yet swap coaching for a trial at commentary, there is only one place for him at SW19: in the plush seats on Centre Court lapping up the royal levels of hospitality.

In that sense then maybe I wouldn’t mind seeing Murray again this year, but only if he’s relaxing, and while I believe his expertise would be better served in Jack Draper’s team or behind the scenes at the LTA, where he can have a hand in the next generation carrying on his legacy, those potential paths can undoubtedly wait.

Unless it’s proof he has finally mastered a ski lift or lowered his golf handicap, I don’t want to know about it. For the love of god, Andy, take an actual break.

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