But the Scot, who retired from tennis in 2024 after reaching the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles with Dan Evans at the Paris Olympics, adopts a calmer courtside demeanour when watching his son. “I am a good sports dad,” he said. “I don’t do any of that. Definitely not.”
Pushy parents are a well-documented issue in tennis, especially on the junior circuit, where children often specialise in the sport as young as nine. An expensive individual sport that requires private coaching, it is not uncommon for parents to act as managers, drivers and financial backers early on.
Tennis has a long history of parent coaches with Serena and Venus Williams – who were coached from an early age by their father, Richard – being the most notable example. Ben Shelton, this year’s US Open finalist, Casper Ruud, Flavio Cobolli and Leylah Fernandez are more recent examples of players who are coached by their fathers.
Murray’s own mother, Judy, was a passionate tennis coach and played a hugely influential role in getting her sons, Andy and Jamie, into the sport.