HIS own immediate playing prospects may be the source of much concern right now as he ponders surgery to correct a chronic hip problem but Andy Murray yesterday made a further move towards life after tennis when he signed another promising young sporting talent to the roster of his new management agency, 77 Sports Management.
Joining 21-year-old British sprinting sisters Shannon and Chereice Hylton, and the aspiring Glaswegian tennis talent of teenager Aidan McHugh on his books is Katie Swan, an 18-year-old who is widely regarded as Britain’s most talented young female tennis player.
Part of the Scot’s strategic plans for his time and money once his tennis career is over involves mentoring young talents such as these and setting them on the path to greatness, with the agency’s co-founders, Matt Gentry and Gawain Davies, in place to handle commercial, marketing and media matters.
Swan, who is currently ranked No 300 in the world, finished 2017 with three ITF titles to her name, gleaned from events at Portugual and Sharm-El-Sheikh, and has already illustrated her clear potential.
She reached the final of the Australian Open girls’ singles aged just 15, just one achievement in a junior career which at one stage saw her ranked the second-best junior player in the world.
In 2016, her selection at the age of just 16 years and 316 days by Andy’s mum Judy in her capacity as Great Britain Fed Cup captain to replace Jo Konta in a Europe/Africa Group I tournament saw her become the youngest British player in the history of the event, marking the call-up with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Ilze Hattingh of South Africa.
“Katie is a player I’ve been watching for a while,” said Murray, currently out in Australia as he agonises over whether to play at the Aussie Open. “She’s got great potential and has already had some good results. I’m hoping we can offer support to her in areas on and off the court and complement the team she has in place already.”
“Andy is someone I have always looked up to and he’ll be an invaluable mentor for me,” said Swan. “I’m really excited to join the team at 77 Sports Management, I’ve been working hard in the off season and can’t wait to get started in 2018.”
Swan, born and raised in Bristol, spent a portion of her teenage years in Wichita, Kansas, where her father moved to pursue a job in the oil industry. Twice appearing in the first round of the main draw at Wimbledon as a wild card, she has already benefited from the assistance of Murray’s wider group, calling upon the services of the former World No 1’s physiotherapist and masseur Mark Bender when she succumbed to back issues at the start of last season.
She was coached last year by David Felgate, the former coach of Tim Henman.
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