Andy Murray admits he'd be open to coaching - but "not necessarily in tennis" - after his Wimbledon exit.
The Scot, now 36, exited this year's championships are losing in a five-set thriller to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round. Murray, who has won three Grand Slams in his immensely successful career, has struggled with injury in recent years which has led to discussions of life after the sport.
Murray's stock remains incredibly high, both on and off the court. A host of former Grand Slam winners have turned out to be effective coaches - Goran Ivanisevic and Juan Carlos Ferraro among them - but whilst the Scot is open to that route he may not stay in tennis.
He told British Airways High Life magazine: “It's only in the last 18 months or so that I've started to think about my future after tennis. I’ve heard stories from ex-players and other athletes who've made no plans for retiring, and they finish and all of a sudden, it's, 'What am I going to do with myself?'
“I was chatting to them about things that I might want to get involved in or really don't want to get involved in, just starting to get a few ideas together. I’m looking for something I'm really passionate about and that I want to work really hard at to achieve a specific goal. One area that ticks that box is coaching, but not necessarily in tennis. I'll definitely want to keep busy.”
Murray has failed to make it to the last eight of a Grand Slam since 2017. He underwent career-saving hip surgery in 2019, which has extended his time on the court. Despite the affection he receives at SW19 the two-time winner has given no assurances he will be back next year.
"Losing in the second round, I don't find that motivating. It's not why I put all of the work in," he said. "It's similar to last year, I guess. I had a long think about things, spoke to my family, and decided to keep on going. I'm unbelievably disappointed and upset now. Maybe I will feel different in a few days but right now it doesn't feel good."
Murray has reached 11 Grand Slam finals in his career and was previously part of the immensely successful quartet alongside Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Despite his injury woes and time away he still remains confident he can mix it with the best after taking the fifth seed all the way.
He claimed: "I certainly can. It's clear based on how the match went. There was only a few points in it. But it's not just about winning the odd match against them really. To have a run at these tournaments, you need multiple, multiple wins in a row. I've not done that."
