DESPITE a heavy defeat as he tried to defend his US Open title, Andy Murray can still afford to smile as it was revealed his income doubled to more than £10 million last year - before he won Wimbledon.
The tennis star has earned the money through a string of lucrative merchandising and sponsorship deals.
Experts say his future earnings are certain to rocket due to his recent Grand Slam success.
Latest accounts for his personal company show that it generated £10,013,196, up from £5.8 million the previous year, and made a profit of £6,371,811 for 2012.
Last month, Murray, who was knocked out of the US Open in the quarter finals in three sets by Stanilas Wawrinka, changed the name of the company from Parched Investments to 77 Management to mark him becoming the first British male in 77 years to win the Wimbledon men's singles title.
The last British winner was Fred Perry in 1936.
The accounts for 2012 show the company had £7,622,924 in the bank and was owed £2,390,272 by debtors.
It also had 'tangible assets', thought to be a property investment portfolio, worth £2.5 million but owed nearly £6.4 million to unnamed creditors. The firm's income is made up mainly of merchandising payments, "merchandising bonuses" and appearance fees.
The figures do not include the £19 million which Murray has earned in tournament prize money during his career.
Wimbledon will alone netted Murray £1.6m and he also picked up a cheque for more than £200,000 ($325,000) for reaching the last eight at Flushing Meadows this week.
Murray's mother Judy is the secretary of 77 Management and accountant Neil Grainger is the sole director but the world number three controls the company.
In its accounts, it states its principal activities are to make profits from his "name, fame, image and marketing rights".
A financial source said: "These are a very impressive set of results and show that the Andy Murray brand is riding high.
"These accounts only go up to the end of last year so do not account for any income since his Wimbledon win. That really catapulted to him a new level of global fame and he will have sponsors and companies desperate for him to advertise their product.
"He is in the prime of his career and I would expect the figures to keep rising year on year."
Murray, originally from Dunblane, Perthshire, has endorsement deals in place with tennis retailer Head, sportswear firm Adidas, watch maker Rado Switzerland and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
His management agent is music mogul Simon Fuller, who also represents David Beckham.
Murray shares a £5m mansion in Oxshott, Surrey, with his girlfriend Kim Sears and their two dogs.
He now also owns the Cromlix House Hotel, close to his home town, with the Victorian mansion currently being refurbished and is scheduled to reopen next spring.
The five-star venture, where his brother Jamie married in 2010, will feature 10 luxury bedrooms and five suites, named after great Scots from the past and present, as well as a restaurant overseen by renowned chef Albert Roux.
The hotel is already fully booked for next year's Ryder Cup, which is being staged nearby at Gleneagles.
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