The Tennis Conversation: Jamie Murray, Battle Of The Brits architect

There won't be a Wimbledon for Jamie Murray to compete at in 2020, but the star of the fourth season of Tennis Channel's My Tennis Life has done his part to bring professional tennis back to Britain. We caught up with the man behind The Battle Of The Brits, a six-day event set to begin behind closed doors at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton on June 23.

How does it feel to see the Battle of the Brits go from an idea to officially having liftoff in a couple days time?

It's amazing that we got it to this point. It's been very consuming, overwhelming at times. The amount of detail that goes into putting stuff like this on is incredible. Obviously to be doing it in such a short space in time is really difficult. The fans are used to having tennis on in the UK this time of year, so to be able to offer them that is pretty cool as well.

What's the reception been like to this point, and could you see similar events coming together down the road?

I'm really excited for the event, it's very unique to be playing in for all the players, and a unique set of circumstances. You could put this event anywhere and they would have been fired up to play. It's [an] opportunity to compete against one another, which they've never had the chance to do because we haven't had a national championships in our generation.

We have a team event we're trying to set up with the top men and women in the UK, which we'd like to do before the end of July. Having got through this process, we're in a better place to deliver that as well.

Being British, Wimbledon surely has an added layer of significance to you. How did you react when you heard the All England Club decided to cancel the tournament for the first time since 1945?

It was obviously disappointing news, but I guess inevitable in the end. They couldn’t guarantee the safety for everyone [who’s] coming to the event, whether that’s to compete, work there or watch as a spectator. It’s weird being in the UK during June and July and [having] no grass-court season. But we’re living in an extraordinary time.

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What is your earliest memory from SW19?

When I was six years old, probably 30 to 40 kids from our tennis club, along with a few parents took a big bus down to London. We went to watch the tennis for a couple days. I managed to get onto Centre Court and watched Steffi Graf lose to Lori McNeil, which was a massive upset. I went to the shop and got the Wimbledon outfits, the shirt, the shorts, the socks, the whole lot. I was loving it.

About 10 years ago, you went through a rough patch for a couple of seasons. How did you shake off doubts about your future after dropping outside of the Top 100 of the doubles rankings?

I was young when I really committed to doubles. I got inside the Top 30 pretty quickly and probably just assumed everything would keep going on an upward trajectory. I plateaued a bit. I wanted to find ways on how I could get better, so I looked at the guys who were at the top at the time. To me, it seemed like a power game. A lot of big serving, returning, big groundstrokes were starting to come in. I was preoccupied with trying to play like that, which wasn’t my game style at all, instead of developing my own skills. It wasn’t why I was good or what made me different. I lost my way for two or three years, and then started playing with John Peers. I went back to my old coach and really committed to my game style, accepted my strengths and what I could improve on to be successful. From that point, my career started to go a lot better.

The coach you are referencing, Louis Cayer, not only had a strong impact on you, but helped develop a wave of British doubles specialists. What compelled you to reunite with Louis?

I really believed that Peers had a lot of upside and potential to his game. He was still very raw but had a lot of great skills to be a top doubles player. I wanted to do everything I could to make the partnership successful. Part of that was going back to Louis in 2013 and investing in his talents as a coach, to help us individually but more importantly, as a team. He’s an amazing coach. Pretty much all my success is down to him and Alan McDonald, who’s been traveling with me full-time for the last five to six years, working together to get the best out of me. Even now, Louis has brought another generation of British guys through.

How do you see the growth doubles as a product and are you happy with where it is today?

From when I started on the tour in 2007 to where it is now, the doubles game has grown so much. Fan support, awareness of the players, and the level has improved. The approach has changed: there’s more options to be successful in doubles. That also makes it interesting because you get a clash of styles. I think getting the Masters 1000s on TV was a big step for the doubles game.

For people at home watching, doubles is what they primarily play. It’s the bedrock of amateur tennis. People can relate to it more. It has an important part to play and I think it can play a bigger role than what it does at professional tournaments. It takes people actively trying to promote and pursue that. I always try when I can, but it’s not always easy to push it where I think it should be.

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Before you, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes were the kings of mixed doubles. You’ve grown into your generation’s standout in the discipline. Why do you think that is?

My skill set is good for mixed doubles. A lefty serve can be very difficult for the women to deal with, because it’s not a serve they see as often on the WTA tour. My serve has a lot of junk on it, it’s moving around, gets up high. They don’t really face it, so it’s difficult to get a grasp on it. And then there’s my net coverage and ability to cover the court. I don’t return fast, which in men’s doubles, sometimes you need power to hit through guys. Mixed doubles, there’s more space to play into. There’s more margin for error with the lob, things like that. The way it’s set up plays into my hands a little bit.

It's clear both you and Andy value family. When it comes to grandparents, those relationships tend to be special. Tell us about yours and the unique bond you share together.

My grandparents are amazing. They’re characters as well. Especially when we were younger, our parents were working full-time jobs, they did a lot of taxiing down to school and university so we could play. They made a lot of sacrifices to ensure we got the best opportunities to develop our tennis further.

They’re 86 and 88 now, but they’ve got their iPads and phones to watch us. They’re fully clued up on what’s going on. It’s incredible what our tennis has kind of given to their life as they get older. They still come down to Wimbledon and sit up on the player’s balcony, overlooking Court 3. People come and talk to them, and they’re happy to chat. For me, to I’d go home to Scotland more if I could, because time with them is precious.