"It's actually the week me and my wife became a couple for the first time" - Andy Murray recalls his fondest memories from playing in Basel 17 years ago
Andy Murray will be back in action at the 2022 Swiss Indoors after a gap of 17 years. In a clip from an interview posted on social media, the Scotsman was asked whether he had any memories from his time in Basel back in 2005. Murray, smiling, revealed that it was the week that he and his wife, Kim Sears, became a couple for the first time.
" I have some memories from that week. One, it’s actually the week when me and my wife became a couple for the first time," said Murray. "We met at the US Open and then we went on a couple of date since then and I asked the question, when we were in Basel, ‘are we a couple now, like officially?'"
Sears first met Murray at the 2005 US Open where the teenagers took a liking to each other and began dating. The couple subsequently married in 2015 and have four children.
*Andy Murray is now online* 🟢
As he returns to Basel, @andy_murray remembers a special week with his wife back in 2005...
🫶 #SwissIndoorsBasel https://t.co/SpfYm5YxUd
The interviewer, assuming it happened in person, asked Murray if he took Sears to a restaurant in Basel for a celebratory meal. The former Wimbledon champion, who was 18 at the time, explained that Sears wasn't in Basel at the time and that it happened over MSN messenger, eliciting a laugh from the interviewer.
"She didn’t come here. This was done over MSN Messenger, which was how the youngsters communicated in those days!” Murray explained.
Andy Murray set to play against Roman Safiullin at the 2022 Swiss Indoors
Andy Murray will begin his campaign in Basel against qualifier Roman Safiullin in the first round on Tuesday.
The former World No 1 comes into the tournament after reaching the quarterfinals at the Gijon Open earlier this month. Although the 35-year-old is in the final stages of his career, he seems to have found his form again and is a crowd favorite wherever he plays.
Safiullin, who is also known for playing doubles with compatriot Daniil Medvedev, has also been performing well this season, most notably upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals at Marsailles. Despite being the underdog heading into the match, Safiullin will fancy his chances of pulling off an upset. The two players will be squaring off for the first time.