Andy biggest fans! How tennis ace’s ‘protective’ wife Kim and four children have ‘kept him going’
Over the course of his 18-year career, Andy Murray has won three Grand Slam titles and gained countless fans all over the world.
But while the Wimbledon champ can usually rely on the crowd’s support when he plays on UK soil, Andy’s biggest fans are undoubtedly his wife Kim, 35, and their four children.
Over the weekend, Kim gave Andy a heartwarming Father’s Day surprise when she took their children to watch him play at the Nottingham Open.
The former world number one beat Frenchman Arthur Cazaux 6-4 6-4 in the final to make it 10 wins in a row, and lift the Rothesay Nottingham Open.
However, Andy only noticed his surprise guests while being interviewed after the match ended.
Andy Murray, 36, and Kim Sears, 35, have been together since they were 18 and 17 years old. Pictured together in 2019
Kim surprised her husband Andy yesterday when she brought their four children to watch him play at the Nottingham Open
Genuinely shocked, Murray, 36, counted his children, saying ‘they’re all here’ and admitted he had ‘no idea’ they were coming to watch.
Addressing Kim in the stands, Andy added: ‘They’re all here – thanks guys.’
Reflecting on his recent hip struggles, the star continued: : ‘Obviously my family have been unbelievably supportive of my career when they could have easily asked me to stop.
‘I really appreciate it. Thanks to all of them and my team and my physio for keeping my body going. I really appreciate my family and my team in moments like this.’
Here FEMAIL takes a look back at how ‘protective’ Kim and her four adorable children have got Andy through all the highs and lows of the past few years.
Teenage Sweethearts
The tennis champ met his future wife Kim at the 2005 US open when he was only 18 years old.
At the time, Kim’s father Nigel was head of the Women’s Section of the Lawn Tennis Association and his 17-year-old daughter had accompanied him on the work trip.
Pictured: Andy and Kim share a quick kiss after he won his first ever tournament in San Jose in 2006
For the first year of their relationship, the couple managed to keep their relationship private – as Kim was still finishing her A-Levels back home in Balcombe, West Sussex.
In 2006, Kim flew out to San Jose, California – where she witnessed her boyfriend win his first ever tournament.
In a previous interview with Hello magazine, Kim explained how she never anticipated Andy’s career to take off in the way it did.
She : ‘I went away with him thinking it’s fine because he’s never going to win so I’ll be back in time for school on Monday and then he did.
‘I remember saying to my mum, you’ve got to call in and tell them I’ve got the winter vomiting virus and I won’t be in but then it was on the front cover of the paper so I was busted.’
Following this career-changing win, Andy’s career continued going from strength-to-strength and Kim was spotted at almost every one of his games while studying an English Literature degree at the University of Sussex.
Kim Sears pictured cheering on Andy with his mother Judy Murray from the Wimbledon box in 2008
The couple pictured watching England’s Amir Khan in action against Australia’s Gairy St Clair during the Commonwealth in February 2008
Supportive from the sidelines
Speaking to the Evening Standard in 2010, Andy said he was grateful to meet Kim before becoming a tennis champ – who is now estimated to be worth £130m.
He said: ‘I’m lucky. I know she isn’t with me because I’m in the spotlight.’
In 2012, Andy was left visibly heartbroken when he lost the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer after a gruelling three hour match.
Appearing in a BBC documentary, Andy’s ever supportive partner opened up about how crushing that loss had been.
She said: ‘There were a lot of tears. It is just horrible seeing someone you care about going through that.
‘We had all been there. The immediate aftermath wasn’t pretty.’
However the following year, the tennis champ became the first British man in 77 years to win the UK tournament.
Pictured: Kim Sears wipes away a tear after Andy Murray narrowly missed out on winning Wimbledon in 2012
Pictured: Andy ran straight over to the box where Kim was watching with his loved ones and gave his girlfriend a passionate kiss following his first Wimbledon win in 2013
On seeing Murray win, she put her hands on her head in apparent disbelief and mouthed: ‘Oh my God.’
Minutes earlier, she had said ‘I can’t believe this’ as Murray won yet another vital point.
After claiming the title, Andy ran straight over to the box where Kim was watching with his loved ones and gave his girlfriend a passionate kiss.
Training takes precedence over honeymoon
Two years later, the couple married at Dunblane Cathedral in Scotland and held their reception at Cromlix House, the £1.8million luxury country house hotel which the star owns.
Allowing Andy’s career to take precedence yet again, Kim delayed their honeymoon so her new husband could attend a tennis training camp.
He told the New York Times in 2015: ‘I think getting married is a progression. It’s a step forward in your life away from the court.
Pictured: Newlyweds Andy Murray and Kim seas on their wedding day in Dunblane, Scotland in April 2015
The mother-of-four wore a stunning sparkly headpiece for her wedding day in April 2013. The couple held their reception at Cromlix House
‘But I still need to work hard […] I didn’t go on a honeymoon after we got married. I went to Barcelona and trained for 10 days to get ready for the clay-court season.’
What’s more, Andy says he is grateful that Kim grew up with tennis through her father – meaning she’s never been resentful about him having to travel so much with work.
He added: ‘I’ve been lucky because she grew up with her dad being a coach, and she was used to being away from her dad a lot, and then also used to being around tennis as well. […] If you spend two or three weeks apart, and then you do get to see each other, you appreciate it more.’
Above all, Andy went on to describe his wife as ‘very protective’ and ‘very loyal’.
Fatherhood ‘changed perspective’
In 2016, Kim welcomed the couple’s daughter Sophia. Andy has since revealed that becoming a father changed his attitude towards his career.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday later that year, tennis ace explained: ‘Becoming a parent is life-changing and if it helps my tennis, great.
Andy Murray seemed in high spirits as he lifted son Teddy, three, over his head while enjoying a family holiday in Marbella earlier this year
‘And if it doesn’t, that’s fine. That’s not a problem for me now. My priority is to be a good father first.
”Id rather be getting up in the middle of the night and helping [with Sophia] than winning every tennis match and her thinking when she grows up: “Actually, you know what, he was a s****y dad but he won a lot of tennis matches so, you know, well done.”‘
What’s more, Andy has also said that having children has given him some much-needed perspective at times.
He told the Guardian in 2016: ‘[Fatherhood] is a positive thing – and tennis not being your priority can help. It lends perspective when you have a bad loss or bad practice.
The sporting champ joked that his first attempt at coaching had ‘ended in disgrace’ after his daughter told him she no longer wanted to play
Andy pictured hugging his daughter Edie in 2019. His second child said she didn’t want to play tennis anymore as Andy was ‘standing too close’ to her
‘The outcome of a match is not everything but I want my daughter to be proud of her dad when she grows up and sees what I did. I hope it works out in a positive way on the court but if it doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world.’
In recent years, Andy has struggled with arthritis in his hip – meaning he has had to undergo two gruelling surgeries.
‘I have a metal hip. Feeling a bit battered and bruised but hopefully that will be the end of my hip pain,’ posted Murray on his Instagram account in January 2019.
As such, the former world’s number one dropped out of the top 100. However, he later went on to explain that Kim played in a key part in getting him back on the court.
Andy told the Telegraph in 2017: ‘There’s a number of times in the last two years that I had stopped.
‘I was like, “I don’t want to do this any more.” But Kim, she was always trying to keep me going, and trying to help get me back on the court, stay motivated, and always happy for me to go and train and go away and stuff.’
Andy Murray and Kim Sears are pictured watching the racing as they attend the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse in 2019
Despite his best efforts to pass on some of his tennis talent to his youngest daughter, the sporting star detailed how it had all spectacularly backfired on his Instagram.
Following their training session earlier this year, Andy was left stunned when his five-year-old wrote him a letter to tell him she no longer wanted to continue their working relationship.
The adorable note read: ‘Dear daddy, I am not going to play tennis for a while.Lots of love, Edie.’
Alongside her note, Andy’s second child then drew a picture of her father holding a tennis racket and put a large red cross through it.
Showing that there was no love lost between them, Edie then signed off the letter with some kisses and love hearts.
After taking a photo of the hilarious note, Andy then provided further context on how the lesson had gone down on his Instagram Stories.
Using a crying emoji, he joked: ‘My first venture into the coaching world has ended in disgrace.
‘My five-year-old daughter has quit, telling me: “I don’t want to play anymore… ‘”You stand too close to me.”‘
Speaking to This Morning’s Alison Hammond in 2021, the tennis star said his proudest achievement is getting all four children to bed on time.
He also revealed that his eldest daughter, Sophia, plays tennis once a week.
Following his win at the Nottingham Open, Andy has risen into the Live ATP Rankings Top 40 for the first time in five years.