We are incredibly excited to announce our new brand ambassador for 2024 and 2025 – the 7 time Grand Slam champion – Jamie Murray! Jamie is working with us to design our exciting new tennis programme for 2024/25 and you’ll be able to experience his programme very soon!
Why Jamie Murray?
After a successful 3 years working with Louis Cayer (who has actually coached Jamie!) we wanted to find a brand ambassador who was a current player, fits with the Active Away values and is a doubles specialist. We managed to narrow it down to around 9 players who we thought could be a great fit for our brand. There was one clear stand out though – Jamie Murray.
We started by looking through his tournament history. A Wimbledon Champion. A US Open Champion. An Australian Open Champion. Pedigrees don’t get much stronger than this! Jamie has been at the very top of the tennis world and still remains in the top 20 doubles players in the world. He continues to push himself and compete hard, even as he comes to the end of his career.
With Jamie’s experience of running the Battle of the Brits event, we felt that he understood the back-office side of tennis. Organising players, dealing with sponsors and being in front of the camera – he showed a serious acumen for the business side of the game. We felt this was important when approaching a player as they would understand the needs and wants of a growing business.
Not all tennis players are made equal. Having spent my whole life in the tennis world and now much of my time in a more corporate world – I have an understanding that the two worlds don’t often align. Finding a tennis player that aligns with our core business values was not easy. The first value we talk about is ‘The Active Away Family’ – something that is core to every decision we make as a business. The Murray Family is probably the most famous tennis family in the world and the way they treat each other is second to none. You can see how much they are all there for one another – during the good times and the tough times. For us this was integral to choosing Jamie.
Finally – we love the Jamie Murray brand. Not all tennis players have their own YouTube channel with doubles tips! Jamie has clearly focused on positioning himself as a brand, not just a tennis player.
The Initial Discussions
So – we’ve decided we would like to work with Jamie Murray – what next?! How do you get hold of him? Tennis is a seriously small world and there are some incredibly good people who support each other.
One of our most recent partnerships – between Game4Padel and Active Away involved myself and James Rose. James has been around the tennis world for a long time – a former Director of Tennis at La Manga Club and now driving the Game4Padel business exceptionally hard. James was kind enough to introduce me to Jamie Murray and without him this partnership would have been a non-starter.
Jamie was able to meet with me via Zoom – I was very interested in his background as I couldn’t quite work out where he was. He had just got off court at Wimbledon where he had a training session. This was slightly different to my home office in Doncaster…
My biggest surprise about the call was how much he knew about Tennis Holidays. Normally we would have to explain the concept of our USP (hosting). However Jamie was fully aware of this and had clearly done his research into Active Away. The other thing that was brilliant to hear from Jamie’s side was how impressed he was with the business. From our feedback scores, to the number of people who are part of the Active Away family, he was enthralled by the concept.
Jamie Murray & Judy Murray Tennis Clinics
One of the first thoughts from our side was – how can we get Jamie Murray on court with our clients? This started with Jamie’s schedule.
As all of us who are tennis fans are aware the tennis schedule is jam-packed. Pretty much 50 weeks of the year the top men and women are playing tournaments. This leaves very little time for other commitments such as media days, brand partnerships and spending time at tennis clubs.
We were so keen to give our clients access to Jamie – so we came up with a plan. We would do a ‘half day clinic with a Q+A’ in the following months:
– June 2024 (Midlands)
– December 2024 (London)
– June 2025 (Midlands)
– December 2025 (London)
We are just finalising the details, but essentially the clinics will look like the below:
10:00 – 12:00 – On court with Jamie Murray, Judy Murray and the Active Away Team.
12:00 – 12:30 – Q&A with Jamie/Judy and photo opportunities.
12:30 – 13:30 – Lunch.
13:30 – 15:30 – On court with the Active Away Team.
Jamie Murray Tennis Holidays?
The second thought we had was – what about a Jamie Murray Tennis Holiday? For those that had the opportunity to join Jocelyn Rae on a trip I was fortunate enough to host at Sani Beach in 2016 there was nothing quite like hearing all the stories from her time on the tour.
To have Jamie attend one of our trips would be incredible, however his schedule just won’t make it work. He would genuinely love too – however, with the majority of our trips taking place in April/May/June/September/October, it would just not fit with his schedule. We will, of course, keep discussing this as his career progresses, but for now he is (quite rightly) focused on achieving even more in his sport.
However, you may see the Active Away logo featuring on Jamie’s shirts! For 2024 you’ll see the logo on all ATP events and for 2025 on both Grand Slam and ATP events.
Jamie Murray History
Jamie Murray grew up in Dunblane, Scotland. During his school years he was present during the 1996 Dunblane School massacre when Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and a teacher before shooting himself. Both Andy & Jamie were part of a group of school children who took cover in a classroom.
Jamie was clearly a talented tennis player from an early age – becoming the world junior number 2 when he was 13 years old. He even finished runner up at the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl tournament in Florida. One of the highlights of his junior career was partnering his brother to the semi-final of the Junior US Open.
Jamie Murray played an integral part in bringing the Davis Cup to Great Britain in 2015, with doubles victories in the quarter final, semi final and final. This was GB’s first title since 1936!
2016 was a big year for the Murray brothers, with Jamie becoming the world no.1 doubles player in April 2016, followed by Andy achieving singles world no.1 in November 2016. Jamie Murray was also awarded an OBE in the 2016 birthday honours!
Jamie currently lives in Wimbledon with his wife Alejandra who he married in 2010 in his home town of Dunblane. When he’s not on the tennis court – he loves striking a golf ball or two!
Jamie Murray Grand Slam Wins
To win a Grand Slam has to be every tennis player’s dream – well Jamie has managed to achieve this 7 times over! He truly has achieved pretty much everything you can achieve as a Doubles player.
2007 – Wimbledon Mixed Doubles
In 2007, Jamie Murray made history at Wimbledon by winning the mixed doubles title alongside Jelena Janković. This victory marked a breakthrough moment for Jamie, showcasing his exceptional talent and determination on the tennis court. His powerful serves and precise volleys were instrumental in securing the championship, demonstrating his ability to excel under pressure.
2016 – Australian Open Men’s Doubles
Jamie Murray’s performance at the 2016 Australian Open Men’s Doubles was nothing short of remarkable. Teaming up with Bruno Soares, the dynamic duo displayed exceptional teamwork and resilience throughout the tournament. Their strategic plays and impeccable coordination on the court left spectators in awe, proving that their partnership was a force to be reckoned with.
As they lifted the trophy, it was evident that Jamie Murray had reached new heights in his career, solidifying himself as a dominant figure in men’s doubles tennis. The 2016 Australian Open Men’s Doubles will forever be remembered as a pivotal moment in his journey, showcasing his extraordinary skill and unwavering commitment to excellence on the court.
2016 – US Open Men’s Doubles
Partnering with Bruno Soares, Jamie displayed remarkable chemistry and coordination on the court, dominating their opponents with a display of power and finesse. Their triumph was not only a testament to Jamie’s individual talent, but also to his ability to form effective partnerships and communicate seamlessly with his teammates.
2017 – Wimbledon Mixed Doubles
In the thrilling 2017 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles final, Jamie Murray alongside his partner Martina Hingis managed to defeat Heather Watson and Henri Kontinen.
2017 – US Open Mixed Doubles
Partnering Martina Hingis again, Jamie & Martina managed to come through in a hard fought third set tie-break 10-8.
2018 – US Open Mixed Doubles
In a stunning display of skill and strategy, Jamie proved himself to be a dominant force in the 2018 US Open Mixed Doubles. Partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands, he showcased exceptional teamwork and coordination as they stormed through the competition to claim victory. His precise serves and strategic positioning on the court continually outmanoeuvred their opponents, leaving audiences in awe of his mastery of the game.
2019 – US Open Mixed Doubles
Jamie’s most recent Grand Slam victory came in 2019 as he and Bethanie Mattek-Sands had a comfortable 6-2 6-3 victory.
The 2024/25 Active Away Tennis Programme by Jamie Murray
We have now begun work on the 2024/25 Active Away Tennis Programme. This is sure to be our best yet and have consulted some of the best coaches in the world alongside Jamie’s expertise.
The overall responsibility for the programme is Matt Allen – our Director of Tennis. Matt is an expert himself, with a wealth of experience having previously worked for the LTA and has been delivering our tennis holidays since 2010. This will be an incredible piece of work! You can view some of Matt’s checklist below:
- Identify the best coaches in the UK and understand their strengths.
- Explore the best tennis centres in the UK and identify what they do well on the court.
- Read and evaluate the detailed feedback from our clients in 2022/23 relating to the tennis programme.
- Decide on ‘the mission’ of the tennis programme, for example ‘Become a more competent and confident doubles player.’
- Bring Jamie Murray, external consultants and key in house team members together for a day to share ideas and develop the structure of the programme.
- Write Draft #1 of the lesson plans for the programme.
- Share the Draft with the development day attendees and assess feedback.
- Deliver the draft lesson plans to a select group of clients for feedback.
- Finalise the written lesson plans.
- Create videos for our team which they can watch so they know exactly what to deliver.
- Organise and deliver 2x training days in March 2024 to train our full coaching team on the programme.
- Monitor feedback and be prepared to have a degree of flexibility if changes need to be made.
- Drive standards and make sure that the model is followed by all coaches on all events.
As you can imagine, this is a serious piece of work. But we want to be the market leader when it comes to leisure tennis. Without this effort, energy and application there is no way we can deliver the level that the Active Away Family expects.
A Final Note...
To everyone involved in making this happen – thank you. There are far too many to mention but a few names are; James Rose, Nick Clayton, Roman Kenny-Manning and Natasha Beach.
