Andy Murray may have retired, but one of his proteges – 17-year-old Scot Charlie Robertson – is into the quarter-finals of the US Open juniors.
Robertson eliminated 11th-seed Jangjun Kim in straight sets on Wednesday. A few minutes later, he arrived in the media area wearing the “Andy Murray Collection” kit which his mentor had presented to him during the French Open.
The two Scots have spent a fair bit of time sparring this summer – first on the grass during Queen’s, and then at a week-long training block on Greek clay courts. Among his other achievements, Robertson can justifiably claim to have prepared Murray for his dramatic career finale at the Paris Olympics.
“It was cool, being around him,” said Robertson, who was born in the far-flung village of Guthrie before moving south to take advantage of Scotland’s one big indoor tennis centre in Stirling. “I was very nervous when I first met him, but, honestly, he’s hilarious. He’s so funny. And he just makes you feel like you’re part of the group.
“We met a little bit when I was younger. Then I started working with Matt Little [who was Murray’s long-serving fitness trainer]. So Matt would say some things about me, and recently I got to know him.”
Scotland no longer the laughing stock of tennis
It’s strange now to think that Monty Python’s first series depicted a pair of kilted Scotsmen contesting a Wimbledon final. The scene was meant to be surreal and ironic, on the grounds that Scotland – as Graham Chapman’s character put it – was “the worst tennis-playing nation in the world”.
But the emergence of the Murray brothers proved that sporting passion will find a way, no matter how uncongenial the climate.
Even though Andy announced his retirement in Paris five weeks ago, the whole family continues to support young Scottish talent. They are determined to keep the flame alive, despite the lack of facilities, and Judy Murray’s frustration that her passion project in Park of Keir recently foundered amid planning delays and backstage wrangling.
It was Judy who first encountered Robertson when he was a 13-year-old prospect. As he puts it, “Judy always kind of recognises all the young Scots. And then, for sure, the Murray brothers love to see Scots doing well. As soon as they see that, they like to help, which is really nice.
Murray offering technical help and moral support
“If I asked Andy anything, he would give his honest answer. On the grass, I was struggling with my slice a little bit. My racket was a bit higher, and he was just, like, ‘Look, just put your racket lower, and just kind of nudge it.’ Coming from him, it made me work on it and think about it more.”
It’s not only technical support that Robertson needs. While the Lawn Tennis Association keeps an eye on his progress, sending national coach Martin Weston to watch Wednesday’s win, it doesn’t help him with his own coaching costs. He set up a GoFundMe page seven weeks ago which has so far raised £3,000 of his £15,000 target. Most of that was supplied by Scottish car dealership Arnold Clark.
One way of saving money has been to use his elder sister, Kirsty, as a coach. “Whatever she tells me, I’ll do it,” Robertson explained. “Because if not, she’ll tell my mum, and then I’ll get shit for it. She plays some Futures and stuff, and she works with Matt Little, so she’s really good on the physical side.
“If she doesn’t get her way, she’s pretty moody. When we’re at the dinner table, I’m like ‘I’ve had enough of tennis, let’s talk about something else.’ But I really enjoy it. We get on so well and so far we haven’t had any issues.”
From bucolic upbringing to buzz of Big Apple
Just like Andy Murray, who was thrilled to find himself billeted at the Hyatt Grand Central on his first junior trip to the US Open, Robertson is loving the noise and buzz of the big city – even if he admits that he couldn’t cope with it for much more than a week.
He grew up on his father’s farm, which had to be sold up in order for the whole family to move to Stirling. They’re still in the agriculture business, producing a variety of crops which – appropriately for a young tennis prospect – happen to include strawberries.
At this stage, Robertson’s limiting factor seems likely to be his size. He claims to be five feet eight inches tall, although that seems a generous figure when you meet him, But his technique looks extremely efficient, and thus far is helping to make up for his stature.
“Physically he has a lot of growing to do,” Judy Murray told Telegraph Sport, “but he has a great attitude and work ethic, as well as a huge desire to learn, which to me are the most important qualities. You can’t teach those”.
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