‘He’s walked the walk’ – Murray hailed as ideal mentor for all sports

Sir Andy Murray would be a perfect mentor for athletes in all Scottish sports, believes golfer Richie Ramsay.

Murray brought the curtain down on a stellar tennis career at the Paris Olympics.

The 37-year-old featured at the Pro-Am prior to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week, partnering compatriot Robert MacIntyre.

Ramsay told BBC Scotland it could be a game changer for many athletes should they be able to tap into the knowledge of the former world number one.

“If he was willing to do it, he should be a mentor for the elite athletes in Scotland as anybody in their right mind would jump at that opportunity,” he said.

“If he walks in a room, it stops. And, if he says something, I’m laser-focused on what he is saying because it means so much.

“He’s walked the walk and that’s why there’s such a huge amount of respect. You can hear what the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal say about him. He’s pretty iconic really.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion and double Olympic gold medallist has an agency, 77 Sports Management, although the tennis division was closed down when he agreed a deal with IMG last year.

Murray, who has four young children, appears to have ruled out a move into coaching any time soon, citing his reluctance to travel.

But Ramsay thinks someone with Murray’s experience would be an ideal foil for Rory McIlroy as the world number three from Northern Ireland seeks to complete the all-time grand slam of golf.

Only the Masters is missing from McIlroy’s list of major successes, while the 35-year-old has not won a major since the 2014 Open.

In 2013, Murray ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon and in 2015 he inspired a first Davis Cup win in 79 years.

“If I was Rory, I’d be flying Andy Murray out and tapping into his brain as he’s got the same pressure situation when it comes to the Masters,” added Ramsay.

“He should be asking him how to prepare for it as he’s one of the few people in the world who’ve had that same pressure he now has.”