MURRAY BROTHERS ARE BACK IN TOWN!

IN careers hardly lacking in highlights, the Murray boys still consider their experiences in front of Scottish crowds to be among their best days on a tennis court.

So the idea of reuniting on home soil this winter, with a Scotland v England Battle of the Brits scheduled for Aberdeen in December, holds obvious appeal.

Jamie Murray is the driving force behind the idea, which reprises the old Aberdeen Cup contest that took place in the Granite City in 2005 and 2006.

And after a year of lockdown, he just hopes that he and kid brother Andy can get the proper experience such an event deserves — with fans allowed into the 7,000-seat P&J Arena.

Recalling some of the raucous Davis Cup days and nights Team GB had enjoyed in Glasgow over the past decade, Murray said: ‘We’ve had amazing moments in our careers playing tennis in Scotland, representing GB.

‘I think when we played against the States, that was the first time we’d played in a long time. It was an incredible atmosphere.

‘We then got the chance a few months later to play Australia in the semi-final, which was crazy.

‘The doubles match that Andy and I played was insane. The support we had was off the charts. We want to have those opportunities more often.

‘I say “we”, I definitely mean me but probably Andy as well. When we look back on our careers, when we stop, those are definitely going to be some of the best memories we’ve had on a tennis court.

‘To be able to share them together is such a unique position that we’re in.’ Without getting too carried away, doubles specialist Murray is optimistic that at least some fans will be allowed in by December. New mutations permitting, obviously.

‘We miss playing in front of full stadiums,’ he confessed. ‘For us, that’s where the excitement comes; walking out onto court and seeing thousands of people there to support you. Or not!

‘That’s what gets the butterflies going in our stomachs. When we first started back on the tour last year, one of the biggest tournaments in the world, there were no crowds, just the players watching the other players — and that is not the same.

‘In Australia, they didn’t have great crowd numbers — and then there was another lockdown and they were taken away.

‘For me, the sad thing about it was that I didn’t even realise that there weren’t fans there any more because we have just got so used to playing without them over the last four five months.

‘That is sad. And we hope they can return as soon as possible because that is what makes sports fun. This was a great opportunity to put on a really unique event and bring live tennis to the Scottish public.

‘There is a huge demand for it up there. There has been huge interest in people following Andy’s careers — and, to a lesser extent, mine. We’re really excited to be able to put this on.’

The thought of taking on their Team GB friends and colleagues will obviously give the event a different sort of feel. Jamie certainly knows there would be a heavy price to pay if, after all the build-up, he and Andy somehow managed to lose to their English rivals ….

‘It’s definitely a proper competition,’ he insisted.

‘Everyone wants to get one over on their mates. For us to come to Scotland and lose to England, that’s not really what we want to do. We are putting ourselves on the line. We will get run out of town if we lose.

‘We’ve always represented GB, that’s just the way it is in tennis. And even for the English guys, when I pitched them the event, they were so excited about getting the opportunity to compete against Scotland.

‘We’ve been in the GB team for so long and shared great moments together. But now we get the chance to go up against each other, representing our own home nations; there’s a lot of pride on the line for that.’

Murray and regular partner Bruno Soares reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, having only been reunited during their 14-day quarantine on arrival Down Under.

Grateful to still be playing, the Scot admits that dealing with the constant uncertainty has been an added challenge.

‘It’s been really difficult,’ he explained, adding: ‘Normally, tennis players have some sort of certainty in that we’ve always got something to prepare for.

‘Whether that’s tomorrow’s match, or your practice, the tournament next week or Wimbledon in a few weeks’ time.

‘But over the last year that’s been totally out the window. You are in limbo all the time, not quite sure what’s going to happen or how things are going to play out.

‘You have to get to the tournament early because you have got to take a test then do quarantine for 24 hours.

‘Am I going to pass the test? If I don’t, it means staying in the hotel for 10, 14, 21 days, depending on the country.

‘So it’s been pretty stressful at times with all the travels issues and restrictions.

‘But the Tour has done a great job in getting tournaments on and continuing to run the tour, giving the players opportunities to compete and have jobs.’

lTickets for the Battle of the Brits, taking place on December 21 and 22, go on sale from 1pm Friday 26th February at ticketmaster.co.uk