Today, Brit sporting powerhouse Andy Murray revealed that, in his expected retirement from tennis, he will be embracing a brand-new partnership with brand Castore.
So what is Castore? Founded in 2015 by brothers Tom and Phil Beahon, it's the world's first premium sports performance brand (think the Armani of the technical sports gear world). The venture will see Murray continue to wear Castore's designs, both on and off the court, which we first saw him wearing during January's Australian Open.
This summer Murray and Castore will reveal their first co-designed collection. It will be the kit that Murray wears both in training and on the court, to co-align with his planned return to tennis this summer, which if all goes to plan, is what he is hoping will happen.
GQ spoke to Murray about his latest partnership and plans regarding his retirement...
GQ: How did the partnership come about?
Andy Murray: “We met at Wimbledon a while ago. I met with Tom and I realised that he was extremely passionate about the brand. I was really interested in Castore's story – two brothers from a sporting background starting up a new young British business was really exciting to me.”
How involved are you with Castore?
“It’s a different opportunity to any of those I’ve ever had. In tennis you wear the clothes and you get paid to wear the clothes, but this is a lot deeper than that. I mean, I'm no designer and I don't pretend to really know what I'm doing when it comes to fashion, but when it comes to the design of the Castore collection, if there’s something I don’t like then I tell them. It’s up to me to test out all the gear and see if it performs well.”
How do you see yourself within Castore?
“I think the thing that is most important for me is performance. When I’ve spoken to Tom that’s the number one thing that I want, whether it’s playing sport or going to the gym. I have always taken every single detail of my career very seriously and I can see that these guys do the same, so we both align in that respect.”
Is this going to be a template from you for working with brands as you head into retirement?
“Potentially! You know, I obviously need to see exactly what it is that I want to do when I finish playing. I have other interests as well. I need to see if I’m able to give enough time to do a variety of different things. This partnership is certainly something that when initially discussed was quite exciting to me, so I would like to do this more in the future.”
Did retirement ever cross your mind?
“The situation I got myself into wasn’t something I planned. When I got injured when I was world number one I had no intention of retiring. Then I never recovered from the injury and then in the last six of seven months I started to think more about stuff like this. What if I’m not able to come back to playing tennis? This is a great opportunity for me and I think post career it’s something that will be exciting, fun and challenging for me. A lot of athletes and players go straight into coaching when they retire, but for me it’s something different, especially if I want to take a step back from tennis itself, which is possible you know.”
Do you think we might see you on a court again, wearing Castore of course?
“I want to continue playing. I said that in Australia. The issue is I don’t know whether it’s going to be possible. I’m a lot happier now than I was over the past 12 months since I had the operation. I have no pain in my hip anymore which is great. The rehab has been slow but it has been going pretty well. I just need to kind of wait and see how things progress, then I'll assess if it’s possible to return to tennis. I would certainly love to play again.”
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