There is an almighty roar from the back of the auditorium—the sort normally reserved for the sports field and almost never heard in a theatre. But this is no ordinary evening. It is an audience with the usually reticent Sir Andy Murray, and he is being unusually candid in front of an adoring crowd.
We hear about the time he traded in his wife for a Ferrari, how he was accidentally high at the start of a match—and we get the inside scoop on why the curtain came down on his coaching partnership with Novak Djokovic.
This is *Andy Murray, Centre Stage*, an event touted as “a rare opportunity to be in the company of one of the world’s most beloved and entertaining athletes.”
Sir Andy is a bag of nerves as the evening begins, clearly anxious about being under the theatre lights and telling the audience he was terrified no one would show up. The national treasure needn’t have worried. Not only is the 3,000-seater SEC in Glasgow sold out, he’s in safe hands with a crowd who quite literally cheer him on throughout.
### Djokovic Coaching Stint: “I’m Not Sure If I Enjoyed It”
The opening gambit from host Andrew Cotter—the “lesser of the two Andrews,” as he jokes—is a question about Djokovic. Sir Andy was briefly appointed as coach to the 24-time Grand Slam champion. They worked together through the Australian Open, where the Serb reached the semi-finals before being forced to retire injured. Shortly afterwards, a split was announced.
“We had a chat on the phone and he asked me if I would consider coaching him, which I wasn’t expecting,” Murray told the audience. “I thought I should give it a go and see whether I enjoyed it.” There was a pause. “I’m not sure if I did.”
Frustratingly, Cotter failed to push for more details, instead shifting to Sir Andy’s love of golf, which he plays four times a week when his children are at school.
### Family Life and Early Choices
In heartwarming revelations about his upbringing, Murray spoke of his grandparents’ dogs and shared that he and his wife Kim have just welcomed a black retriever puppy into their home.
The intimate atmosphere was helped by the audience being banned from using mobile phones, with devices locked away in special pouches.
Sir Andy recalled how, at 15, he had the choice of playing for Rangers or pursuing a professional tennis career. The mention of “Rangers” drew roars of approval—and good-natured boos—but the crowd clearly agreed tennis was the right choice.
At 17, he faced another decision: train at the Lawn Tennis Association academy in Sutton or move to Barcelona. “I don’t know if many of you have been to Sutton... but I chose to go to the academy in Spain,” Murray deadpanned. “I loved it there. Those are the years where, if I could go back in time, that would be the time I would go back to.”
### Struggles with Fame and the Press
Throughout the two-hour event, Sir Andy was self-effacing and charmingly understated. His knighthood, he said, is “not something I think about.” He never dreamed of great tennis success, admitting, “I just wanted to be good enough to play at the major events. I never thought I’d end up winning them.”
But fame came early, with media scrutiny intensifying as his success grew. “The media in Great Britain can be pretty harsh, and the mood changes fast,” he said. “At first you’re a breath of fresh air who speaks his mind, then you’re a moody teenager.”
His infamous “anyone but England” remark during the 2006 World Cup—a response to Tim Henman’s jab that Scotland hadn’t qualified—drew backlash. “There was a lot of abusive mail,” he recalled. “I remember walking to the court for a mixed doubles match and someone on the phone said, ‘There’s that f***ing Scottish guy.’ I was 19.”
### The Ferrari Incident and Personal Growth
After splitting with Kim (then his girlfriend) at 21, Murray bought a Ferrari. “I thought that was going to be a cool thing to do,” he said. “But I was pulled over by the police within minutes—not for speeding, but because the insurance hadn’t gone through.” He sold the car months later, never driving it again.
### Judy Murray on the Emotional Toll
His mother, Judy Murray, joined him on stage, admitting Wimbledon 2013 was “complete and utter relief.” She added, “Dealing with defeats is incredibly tough, not just for the player but for everyone around them.”
### Hip Struggles and Painful Matches
Murray revealed hip problems began at 21, with a specialist warning they could worsen. By 2016, the pain was debilitating. Before a 2017 Wimbledon match, he took codeine for the first time. “I was totally spaced out at the beginning,” he admitted. Cotter joked, “Now I’d say he was off his t*ts.”
A cyst pressing on his spinal cord nearly ended his career prematurely. “I was in so much pain I couldn’t sleep,” he said, refuting a commentator’s claim that his tears were “beautiful” emotion.
### Life After Tennis
Now retired, Murray is at peace. “I don’t miss tennis at all,” he said. “I’m happy just doing normal stuff with my kids.”
The evening closed with family photos, including one of him dressed as a clown at Halloween (“I got properly stitched up”). His children quit tennis lessons because “they just weren’t very good at it,” but he’s content—finally happy after a career of highs and lows.
As Glasgow’s audience could attest, Sir Andy Murray, the champion, is just as compelling off the court.
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