Andy Murray eyes regional qualifying for The Open as he embraces life after tennis

Andy Murray said he is planning to attempt regional qualifying for The Open as he continues to pursue golf after stepping back from professional tennis, but he added he has no expectation of reaching the championship itself.

The former Wimbledon champion has reduced his golf handicap from seven to two in about a year and on Wednesday eagled the 18th hole of the Wentworth pro-am ahead of the BMW PGA Championship. "I am hoping that in a couple of years time that I will be at a level where I won’t totally disgrace myself but you never know," Murray said. "I don’t have ambitions of playing in the Open but I want to try and play the regional qualifying at some stage. A couple of my friends have done it. It would be a fun thing to do."

Murray acknowledged the standard of competitors at the qualifying events and among tour professionals, saying even amateurs who play off plus-two or plus-three are far short of the pros. "If you got to the level to do that, I would do it but I certainly don’t think I would have any chance of qualifying for the Open," he said.

The 38-year-old, who remains Britain’s former world No. 1 and a three-time Grand Slam champion, also addressed his coaching prospects following his split from Novak Djokovic in May. Murray assisted Djokovic for a period earlier in the year but said he had no interest in returning to that type of role in the immediate future because of the travel demands.

"Obviously with Novak I did it for a period and it was great experience and it was a unique opportunity to do it but there are certain things about the job. If you want to do it well, you need to spend time on the road," Murray said. He added that coaching a Britain-based player makes the logistics easier, but working with a player based elsewhere would require "a lot of time away from the family and I have no interest in doing that just now because I don’t want to be away from them."

Murray said he might consider coaching again in the future. "I think in the future I would probably do it again - it is not like I hated it so much that I wouldn't do it. There were bits of it that I liked but for now I just don’t want to be on the road and I don’t want to do it," he said.

The remarks come as Murray embraces life after a trophy-laden playing career. He has taken part in a number of pro-ams and amateur events while publicly documenting his progress at golf. His comments underline a common path for elite athletes transitioning into retirement: exploring other sports and selective engagement with former professions while prioritising family life.

Murray’s plan to enter regional qualifying is modest in its aim but consistent with his stated approach to post-tennis life — pursuing competitive challenges without the exhaustive travel and year-round demands of the ATP tour or a full-time coaching role. The regional qualifiers are one of several routes that feed into The Open, and Murray stressed he was motivated by the challenge rather than expectation of success.

As he continues to improve his golf and maintain ties to the game of tennis, Murray’s decisions on coaching and competitive involvement appear to be guided by balancing personal ambitions with family commitments.