Heartbreak affects people in many different ways.
But Sir Andy Murray has admitted he dealt with a breakup by buying a Ferrari – which he ended up getting rid of within weeks.
The sporting great, speaking to a Glasgow audience about his career highs and lows, revealed he made the extravagant purchase in his younger days.
He said the pressures of fame affected his personal life and, aged 21, he and his long-term girlfriend Kim Sears split up. In response, he bought a Ferrari because ‘I thought that was going to be a cool thing to do’.
The car, however, caused a headache. He said: ‘When I first took it out on the road I was pulled over by the police. Not because I was driving too quickly but because the insurance hadn’t gone through yet. This was literally within two or three minutes of driving on the road with it.’
Sir Andy Murray treated himself to a Ferrari after he split up with girlfriend Kim
Sir Andy and Kim later reconciled and have been married since 2015
Sir Andy got rid of the car after a couple of months, and he and Kim reconciled, marrying in 2015.
He also revealed that after a glittering career taking in two Wimbledon wins and becoming world number one and Olympic champion, he does not miss
tennis at all.
He said: ‘Honestly, I don’t miss it at all. And that was something that I was really worried about.’
It is nearly a year since Sir Andy officially retired from tennis, and the 38-year-old is now taking part in a four-venue speaking tour of the UK. At the event hosted by sports commentator Andrew Cotter, Sir Andy spoke candidly about the highs and lows of tennis, including his well-documented hip and back problems.
He said now he far prefers spending time with Kim and their four young children, with his sporting talents channelled into skiing and golf. Sir Andy said: ‘I don’t miss hitting a tennis ball. I’m happy just doing stuff with my kids and my family, and just doing normal stuff.’
At the age of 15, having been scouted for Rangers, he had to choose between a professional tennis career and football.
Sir Andy said that despite enjoying a glittering tennis career, he does not miss life on the court
He chose tennis – but the path was far from easy. He said: ‘Unfortunately, in Scotland at that time, there weren’t many tennis players and you need to play against a similar level to improve.’
At a junior competition with Rafa Nadal, he asked his Spanish rival what his training was like and he mentioned working with Carlos Moya, who was the former world number one.
Sir Andy said: ‘And I was like, you know, I’ve got my mum.’
Speaking of the difficulties of being in the limelight, Sir Andy said he was ill-prepared and quickly gained a reputation as a ‘grumpy teenager’.
He added: ‘The media in Great Britain can be pretty harsh and the mood changes fast.
‘A lot of the pundits are people that you’ve looked up to … It’s hard. You take what they’re saying to heart.’
He spoke of the notorious incident when a reporter asked him which team he would support in the 2006 World Cup and he replied ‘anyone but England’.
Hate mail began to arrive and he was the subject of whispers from other players and their teams at Wimbledon.
He said: ‘I remember walking to the court for one of my mixed doubles matches and someone was on the phone and just went, ‘‘There’s that f***ing Scottish guy,”.
‘I was 19 at the time. I was very miserable and I’m aware of that but it changed my relationship with the media.’
