Becks appeal buoyed Jamie on his journey to double up
Elder Murray brother delighted to see a famous face in stand as he booked final
JAMIE MURRAY looked up at each change of ends, scanning his Centre Court surroundings for one particular face. Who was it he was looking for? His mum Judy, who disguised her emotions behind a pair of sunglasses? His Colombian wife Alejandra? Or perhaps his long-time coach Louis Cayer?
In fact it was none of the above. The individual in question was David Beckham, who was seated in the Royal Box with his own mother. The elder Murray sibling was simply interested in how long the football icon was prepared to keep watching his semifinal match against Jonathan Erlich and Philipp Petzschner and was delighted to find out that he stayed for the duration. Indeed, the former Manchester United midfielder even got an impromptu round of applause when he reached up to catch one tennis ball that strayed from the court.
“It was funny, I kept looking up at each change of ends to see if he was still there,” said Jamie. “Because I thought at one point he was going to get bored and walk out. I was happy that he stayed till the bitter end.” Murray and his Aussie doubles partner, John Peers, are worth watching all right. While Peers, a native of Melbourne, is all about power hitting and serving, the Scot gets about the court like a dervish, dominating the net with his touch and movement.
Jamie has been defined by his brother Andy for much of his life but regardless of his efforts, the elder Murray sibling stands on the brink of a notable feat at SW19. Victory would see him become the first British player since Leslie Godfree back in 1926 to have won both the men’s and mixed doubles titles here. While his victorious campaign with Jelena Jankovic in 2007 went by in a flash – he played five matches in three days – this is an older, more mature man, happy to opt out of the mixed event to concentrate on his preferred discipline and determined to drink in the memories.
Andy and Jamie these days live separate, though interconnected lives, but the elder sibling reflected for a moment on the brothers’ last meeting on a singles court. It also came in 2007, in an event called Turbo Tennis at the O2 arena in London, a one-set match which was eventually won by Andy, already well ensconced in the world’s top 20 players. While the duo have never met competitively in doubles action as seniors, Jamie said determining who would win that match would most likely come down to who each of them partnered.
“That [Turbo Tennis] was a long time ago, I had forgotten about that,” said Jamie. “I don’t remember the score but I certainly didn’t win, that is for sure! Who would win in doubles now? I don’t know, it would probably depend who our partners are.”
Just one pairing now stands in the way of another piece of history for this unique family from Dunblane. And one of the pairings just so happens to also be a friend of the family. Frenchman Jean-Julien Rojer, who is partnered by Romania’s Horia Tecau, resides in Miami and is one of the few foreign players who was invited to Andy’s wedding.
“They are both friendly, super-nice guys, and it will be good to take to the court with them,” said Jamie. “We beat them in the first match of the year in Brisbane, then lost a close match in Rotterdam which they kind of stole from us. We will fancy our chances but they will fancy theirs too.”
While Jamie has surely succeeded – win or lose – in his efforts to popularise doubles again, this sudden burst of attention has taken some getting used to. “I guess that is sport,” he said. “If you are winning people take notice, if you are losing, no-one is interested.”
This form of the sport is also one where players can have extra longevity. Having discovered a fruitful partnership with Peers ever since the 2013 French Open, the elder Murray brother may have more grand slams in him yet. “It is possible to play on until you are 40,” he said. “There are guys out there doing it, and having a lot of success. But for me it probably depends how you are feeling on the court, what success you are having, whether you are enjoying travelling on the tour and everything that goes with it.”
Nine-times Wimbledon men’s doubles champion Todd Woodbridge, three of them with Andy’s coach Jonas Bjorkman, sees much to admire in their game. “I think the way they’ve been playing and looking at how they have played on grass before, Jamie and John are favourites. Their patterns of play are suited to the match-up. And Jamie’s previous experience of winning a doubles final is going to be crucial and could help John across the line.”