Q.) Why did you start playing tennis and was there a specific player that inspired you to pursue a career in the sport?
A.) I started playing tennis because I lived at the back of a tennis club in Liverpool. I also saw my older brother Ken playing so the natural thing for me was to follow in his foot steps and take up the sport. Ken was a big inspiration for me growing up because I always wanted to be like him and to reach the level he was at. I would say Pete Sampras when I was very young and then Roger Federer were the two I looked up to on the professional circuit.
Q.) 2019 was a great year for you: Winning a doubles title in Phoenix, achieving your career high ranking of 27 and reaching the semi-final of the US Open mens doubles with Jamie Murray. A season like that must give you immense confidence that you can continue improving and win more titles?
A.) I started 2019 doing really well with my brother Ken. We were probably having our best start to a season we had ever had when Jamie asked me to team up. It was a extra tough to leave my brother because we were on such a roll but I couldn’t turn the opportunity down to play with Jamie. We didn’t start off too well but we soon found our feet and picked up big wins and went deep in a lot of tournaments towards the end of the season. Our good form gave us a lot of confidence going into Davis Cup were we picked up a couple of vital wins. Once the ATP season comes back after the virus hopefully we will be able to find the form we had shown towards the end of 2019 to climb the rankings and win big events.
Q.) You have played and won many tournaments playing alongside your brother, Ken. Did it feel extra special to share the court and win tournaments when playing with your brother?
A.) It was very special for our family when we started playing together back in 2013. We had a lot of success early on winning futures and challengers and breaking into the doubles top 100. When we managed to win our first ATP 250 together it was a special moment because we had been working hard for many years to achieve this and it pushed us to gain added success in the future.
Q.) You started playing with Jamie at the start of 2019, firstly – how difficult of a decision was it to stop playing regularly with your brother Ken?
A.) I started playing with Jamie full time in June 2019. We had played a challenger earlier in the year and we managed to take the title. It was a good week and our game styles paired up nicely. In regards to the decision to play with Jamie it was very tough as a family because we always thought that we would play together until Ken decided to retire. Ken was really understanding with the situation and wanted me to take the next step to advance my career.
Q.) On that partnership Murray, after a slow start, you form together really picked up in 2019. What are you enjoying about the partnership with Jamie?
A.) It was a tough start especially because it was the grass court season when we started and all eyes are on you playing at your home events in England. We got over that pretty quickly after putting some time on court together to iron out a few things and also to gel as a team. Personally I’m enjoying the road we our on as a team. We are focused on putting in the work on the practice court and want to achieve big things in the future together. It also makes it a lot easier that we get on very well off the court.
Q.) Do you have set targets to win a grand slam or reach the top 10 for example, or do you not like putting extra pressure on yourself?
A.) I think you always have to set targets for yourself and also as a team. We were one of the top doubles teams in the second half of 2019 and would have liked to reach the end of year championships at the O2 arena in London but that might not happen now due to the coronavirus. Jamie has won grand slams in the past so he knows what it takes so we just need to keep putting the work in on and off the court and hopefully good things will happen.
Q.) Your brother has had a fantastic career too, and aged 37 is still going strong. Do you have a personal favourite moment from the doubles partnership?
A.) My personal favourite moment playing with Ken might be when we played our first Wimbledon together. That was a very special moment for the family because we had watched it throughout the years on television but to then be playing at The Championships together was a highlight for the family.
Q.) If you could be partnerred with any player in the world for a tournament, who and why?
A.) It would be incredible to play a tournament with Roger Federer. I know he doesn’t play doubles very often but to be on the same side as one of the best players of all time would feel pretty sweet.
Q.) Finally, if there is an aspiring tennis player reading this, what one piece of advice would you give to them?
A.) I would definitely make sure that you have your education sorted so that you have something to fall back on if tennis doesn’t work out. It is very difficult to make it in tennis so having a degree in your back pocket is a nice safety net. US college was a path I went down and I would recommend it to anyone.
Thanks to Neal for the interview, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
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