Game, set and love match as Murray ties ring to his shoe
MARRIED less than a month, Andy Murray might have found himself in trouble with his wife for taking off his wedding ring.
But fearing the ring might affect his game, he found an ingenious solution. Removing the gold band from his finger to compete in the final of the BMW Open in Munich, the 27-year-old tied it to his shoelace.
It may have been unorthodox, but the ring stayed safely in place on his Adidas trainer for more than three hours yesterday – the time it took to beat Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Murray is said to want to ‘keep the ring close to him’ after last month’s wedding to his girlfriend of nine years, Kim Sears. A source close to the player said: ‘He doesn’t wear it when he plays – if you are gripping with both hands on the back swing, the ring can catch. He might wear it on a necklace – he’s figuring out what’s best.’
Murray’s wedding ring was back in place on his left hand once he had won his first title on a clay tennis court. But as winner of the Munich tournament he found himself forced to try another new look after being presented with a pair of lederhosen, along with his $80,000 (£52, 30) prize money and a sleek hybrid BMW i8 sports car.
Last month, the Scot suggested he would refuse to wear the traditional Bavarian leather breeches given to the winner. ‘I’m not planning on wearing them whether I win the tournament or not. It might look good on my wife but not on me,’ he said.
But in the event he gamely pulled on the shorts, posing in them with his trophy and to try out his new car.
The tournament was Murray’s first tennis outing since his marriage in his home town of Dunblane, Perthshire, on April 11.
He insists his home life has not changed much since tying the knot. But he has confessed he sometimes forgets his childhood sweetheart is now his wife, admitting: ‘I’ve made that mistake a few times. I’ve still referred to her as my girlfriend.’