Andy Murray has revealed he turned down the opportunity to train with Rangers FC as a teenager, choosing instead to pursue tennis – a decision that led to a decorated career that concluded at last year’s Olympic Games.
The former world number one disclosed that he faced a crucial choice between the two sports when he was 13-14 years old, after being scouted during a training session with a Rangers feeder team.
Murray’s tennis career proved his sporting choice was well-founded, with three Grand Slam titles to his name.
The Scot claimed two Olympic gold medals during his illustrious career, alongside victory in the ATP Finals.
Andy Murray turned down football and enjoyed an incredible tennis career
PA
His achievements also include 14 Masters 1000 titles and reaching the pinnacle of world No. 1 in the rankings.
Since retiring at the 2024 Olympics, the 37-year-old has turned his attention to golf, setting himself the challenge of becoming a scratch player.
Speaking on Chris Hoy’s Sporting Misadventures podcast, Murray detailed the circumstances of Rangers’ interest.
“I think it was about 13, 14. One of the teams that I played for was a feeder team for Rangers, and we went and did trials at the Rangers School of Excellence,” Murray said.
“And I got asked to go to train with Rangers after that. And that was kind of when I had to make a decision.”
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Murray explained his decision was influenced by his already-established success in junior tennis.
“With tennis at that age, it was really helpful because I played tournaments all over the world by that stage,” he revealed.
“So I played in America, I played in France, Italy. And there’s like a ranking system for under 14s in Europe. And at that stage, I was ranked No. 2 or 3 in Europe as a 14-year-old.”
He noted the uncertainty in comparing football abilities: “Whereas with football, I was good for my local Central Scotland team that I was playing for. But you don’t really know what that means.”
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Andy Murray was close to signing for Rangers as a kid
PA
Asked whether he had any regrets, Murray admitted: “I guess if you could have offered me a career as a footballer, I love the team aspects of football.
“I really like that. And in tennis, we only got to experience that a few times in our careers. At the Olympics was one, which I was fortunate to be part of a few of them, and also in our Davis Cups.”
Murray’s eventual transition away from football became clear during a period when he was still balancing both sports.
“One day I was doing a tennis session. It was supposed to be like an hour and a half long,” he recalled.
“And after an hour, my dad came to get me because I had to go to football training.”
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