Over the years, sibling pairs have graced the world of tennis and changed the game forever. The Williams sisters’ names pop up immediately. Besides them, another notable pair is the Murray brothers. Andy Murray is one of the biggest icons tennis has ever produced, but his older brother, Jamie Murray, is also a champion.
Trained by their mother, Judy Murray, both of them have achieved remarkable things in their respective careers. However, the difference between the Murray brothers could not be more stark. Andy is a Grand Slam and Olympic gold medallist in the singles category, whereas Jamie is a doubles specialist.
Jamie became one of the biggest Scottish stars when he won a Grand Slam quite early on in his career. He partnered up with Jelena Jankovic, to win the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 2007. The older Murray brother made another Grand Slam final appearance alongside Liezel Huber at the US Open, but they lost.
One of the biggest questions that often arises is, why did Jamie put all his focus into doubles? His singles career did not take off, unlike his brother’s, and he lost his ranking too. “I lost my ranking last year, but it was never like I had a great singles career before I had started to play doubles,” he said (via The Scotsman).
In 2009, he sought a wildcard to play singles at Wimbledon, but the Club denied him. Moreover, he did not play a lot of singles matches, besides a few odd rubbers at the Davis Cup for Great Britain.
Murray did not have the easiest time playing doubles though. He changed partners quite frequently before he found the winning formula with Bruno Soares in men’s doubles.
An overview of the career of Jamie Murray
The older Murray sibling found success in doubles, which was a direct contrast to his singles career. So far, Jamie has won seven Grand Slams in the doubles format, and he is not ready to hang up his racket just yet.
Jamie won the Wimbledon title in the mixed doubles category alongside Jelena Jankovic, in 2008. While his partnership with Jankovic ended, he came close to winning another doubles title in 2009 with Liezel Huber.
Murray went a few years without another major title, changing partners quite often. He found success again with Bruno Soares, as they won the men’s doubles at the Australian Open in 2016. The partners also won the US Open title that same year.
Jamie also tasted success in the mixed doubles category in 2017, when he partnered up with Martina Hingis. The duo won the silverware at Wimbledon and the US Open in succession. Murray changed partners again in 2018, playing with Victoria Azarenka. While that partnership did not succeed, he won at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2019, with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
What did Murray say about making a career in doubles?
With time, tennis has become one of the biggest sports in the entire world. Fans tune in to watch their favorites, as they take on their opponents.
Since Jamie made a career out of playing doubles, the popularity of the format has increased. Moreover, the prize money has also increased. Young players now have the chance to make a career out of playing only doubles, as he did. Besides, the players can start young too.
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“Because the money is always increasing in tennis, it is a much more viable option to go down the doubles route a lot earlier than previous generations. It is a genuine option to start off much younger and have a career in doubles,” he said.
Another big reason for the rising popularity of doubles tennis is that high-ranked singles players are also venturing into the format. This has done wonders for the sport, as more fans watch doubles matches than they did earlier.
Jamie Murray has played an instrumental role in making the doubles format a treat to watch. The older Murray brother shows no signs of stopping just yet.