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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
Sport
Jack Thomson

Shaun Maloney extends Hibs training invite to Murray brothers as he explains impact tennis duo can have on team

Shaun Maloney hopes to get the Hibs-daft Murray brothers along to a training session, so his players can learn from their experience competing on the world stage.

The Easter Road boss, who has been in post for a month, is open to inter-sport learning as he strives to gain any possible advantage at the Leith club.

Andy and Jamie Murray have both made it to No 1 in their respective disciplines in a sport that Maloney is somewhat familiar with, having grown up on the tennis circuit at the same time as the brothers.

He even sees the value in them visiting their Ormiston base, extending an invitation to the pair, so that the players can pick their brains on their sporting achievements.

"They are always welcome at the training ground," Maloney said in an interview with the Scotsman.

"I am definitely going to try to get both of them up some time, to come and see the players and staff because I think their experiences would be so useful to hear about.

"I know it is really, really different but have you seen the documentary on Andy fighting back? It is incredible and shows the dedication and the mentality he has to come through the injuries he has had and get back playing.

"Even results-wise at the beginning, that must have been so difficult, when he was used to getting into finals.

"He continually put himself back in that place where it is so hard when you get beat but he kept going back for more and eventually he achieved greatness. It is strange to think this guy came from the same country as the rest of us. It is inspiring."

Of course, Maloney himself is no stranger to battling back from injury, having done so regularly throughout his career.

He encountered ankle and Achilles issues, as well as hip and hernia problems, and ultimately had to retire at the age of 34.

"I think that was probably why that Andy Murray documentary really resonated with me," he said.

"Even before that. I was never at his level in my sport so it gave me so much pride seeing a Scotsman doing that but then I watched that documentary and it really resonated in terms of the rehab, the surgery, what your family goes through to try to support you in those moments. It’s not easy.

"Now that I have stopped playing I feel immense pride in the mentality I had to come back and keep fighting after injuries.

"I had a lot, so to continually try to fight back and try to achieve something post injury, that’s one of the things I'm most proud of.

"To come back and get back into the national team, that’s where I have a huge sense of pride."

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