My Happiness Does Not Come From Tennis – Andy Murray

Sir Andy Murray says he wouldn’t mind if he never plays tennis again.

To understand this somewhat carefree attitude to the sport that has shaped his entire life, you also need to understand the pain that had reduced him from world number one to the weeping, despairing man we saw at the beginning of 2019, announcing his possible retirement during a press conference at the Australian Open 2019.

Our greatest-ever tennis player – no, athlete – had for 18 months been battling a hip injury that had narrowed his world to one single thing: the management of an excruciating pain that left room for nothing else in his life.

‘Obviously playing tennis was very painful,’ says the 33-year-old now. ‘But even things like going out in the garden and trying to run around with my kids, or just going for a walk with them, my hip was always on my mind because every single step I took was painful.

It was just consuming me the whole time. I don’t think I realized just how much it was affecting me, and my general well-being and happiness, until recently. Even sitting at the dinner table, my hip was aching. Throbbing. It was always there – even when I was sleeping. It just wasn’t fun. There weren’t many things I could do that were enjoyable.’

Murray told the newspaper how much the pain from his hip interrupted his life, and how much it had affected him psychologically.

Sir Andy Murray says he wouldn’t mind if he never plays tennis again.

To understand this somewhat carefree attitude to the sport that has shaped his entire life, you also need to understand the pain that had reduced him from world number one to the weeping, despairing man we saw at the beginning of 2019, announcing his possible retirement during a press conference at the Australian Open 2019.

Our greatest-ever tennis player – no, athlete – had for 18 months been battling a hip injury that had narrowed his world to one single thing: the management of an excruciating pain that left room for nothing else in his life.

‘Obviously playing tennis was very painful,’ says the 33-year-old now. ‘But even things like going out in the garden and trying to run around with my kids, or just going for a walk with them, my hip was always on my mind because every single step I took was painful.

It was just consuming me the whole time. I don’t think I realized just how much it was affecting me, and my general well-being and happiness, until recently. Even sitting at the dinner table, my hip was aching. Throbbing. It was always there – even when I was sleeping. It just wasn’t fun. There weren’t many things I could do that were enjoyable.’

Murray told the newspaper how much the pain from his hip interrupted his life, and how much it had affected him psychogically.

‘I’ve spoken to sports psychologists and stuff. I don’t know exactly what depression feels like, but I was definitely very low, and at different stages feeling quite lost. I didn’t really know what to do with myself. Because… I had always thought that if I could just play tennis, it would make me happy.

‘And now I realise I don’t need tennis. I don’t need tennis to be happy any more. I’m very happy right now.’