Jonny Marray

Jonathan Marray (born 10 March 1981) is a former British tennis player and a Wimbledon Men's Doubles champion. Marray is a former top 20 doubles player, reaching a career high of world no. 15 in January 2013, mainly due to more regular appearances on the ATP World Tour, following his victory at Wimbledon 2012. He has also competed on the singles tour, reaching world no. 215 in April 2005, but was unable to continue his singles career, in part due to injuries.

Marray first came to prominence at the 2004 Queen's Club Championship where he reached the third round. Marray has since played predominantly on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he has reached one singles final and won multiple doubles competitions.

In 2012 at Wimbledon, he and his doubles partner, Frederik Nielsen, on a wildcard entry into the tournament, won the final in five sets, beating the much favoured fifth seeds, Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecău. Marray was the first British men's doubles champion since Raymond Tuckey and Pat Hughes in 1936, the same year that Fred Perry last won the Wimbledon singles title. Marray and Nielsen also became the first players to win the men's doubles event on a wildcard.

Marray made his Davis Cup debut at 32, playing with Colin Fleming in the 2013 tie against Russia. Great Britain came from 2–0 down to beat Russia 3–2 to earn a World Group play-off. The last time Great Britain had come from 2–0 down to win a tie was 83 years previously against Germany. Marray was named for the 2013 World Group play-off against Croatia and so helped Great Britain earn promotion to the World Group for the first time since 2008.

Early and personal life

Marray was born in Fazakerley, Liverpool, his father Kevin worked in computing at the Midland Bank, now HSBC, and his mother Kathleen was a nurse. Because of his father's job, they moved to Sheffield when Marray was three years old.

Marray attended Catholic primary school St Wilfrid's. Marray didn't start playing tennis until he was 10, when his mother took the family to a local club, Abbeydale Tennis Club, after watching Wimbledon.
Marray was educated at All Saints Catholic High School, a Voluntary Aided Roman Catholic state secondary school, and played on the school's tennis courts Marray played tennis with his brother David at Hallamshire Tennis and Squash Club, and at the HSBC courts in Dore, Sheffield. Two years older, David held the upper hand on the tennis court until Jonny was 14

After A-levels, he decided against university and turned professional in 2000. Most British professionals are nurtured from childhood as part of the Lawn Tennis Association's elite. Marray had not competed in junior grand slam tournaments and didn't have a junior world ranking, but he was determined to give it a go.

Marray has been confused for Andy Murray, especially when Andy first came on to the scene. While playing in Challenger tournaments in the US, people were asking, ‘are you the new kid, the next big thing?’. “Although I had to tell them I wasn't, every time I say Marray, they say Murray.”

Marray shared a house in Sheffield with his sister, Siobhan, which he bought with his brother, David

Career

2000

In February, Marray made his doubles debut at the Hull Challenger with Ben Gudzelak where they reached the quarterfinal. Marray/Gudzelak played five more tournaments in 2000.

Marray played his first singles match at the Dublin Futures F2 in June, losing in the first round.
At his second tournament in November, Marray won the India F4 Futures in Lucknow.

2001–2006

Marray partnered Ben Riby and James May in the first half of 2001, then David Sherwood from July 2001 to June 2003;Marray/Sherwood winning five Futures titles during this period. Marray's first grand slam was the 2002 Wimbledon Championships with David Sherwood, losing in the 1st round.

From July 2003. Marray began a long-term partnership with Mark Hilton that lasted till the end of 2005, though it was not exclusive.

In early 2004, Marray won the British Satellite event in singles at Sheffield, while Marray/Hilton won four doubles tournaments on the satellite tour and consequently, Marray was announced for his Davis Cup debut in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I tie against Luxembourg. However he missed out when his teammates Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Arvind Parmar all played; Great Britain winning 4–1.

He first hit the headlines, when he reached the third round of the 2004 Queen's Club Singles, getting his first wins on the ATP Tour. In the third round he lost to the sixth seed Lleyton Hewitt, 7–6(2), 7–6 (8), wasting seven set points over two sets (respectively six and one), Hewitt needed five match points to finish the contest. This earned him his first singles appearance at Wimbledon as a wild card, although he was defeated in the first round by Karol Beck.

At this time, Marray was seen as a possible successor to Tim Henman, having a natural serve/volley game.

In September 2004, Marray/Sherwood won their sixth and final Futures title, Mulhouse France F14.

In January 2005 he won his first Challenger doubles tournament in Wrexham, with Mark Hilton He reached his highest singles ranking of 215 in May 2005.

In 2006, Marray mainly partnered Martin Lee, but played with eleven other players, winning 3 Challengers and a Futures tournament.

From May 2004 to June 2006, he stayed in the top 300 of the singles ranking for all but one week, but despite this consistency, did not progress any further. He reached a then-high of 138 in the doubles in August 2005. He did manage to make a final in singles of an ATP Challenger event, at the Nottingham Challenger event where he lost in straight sets to Robin Vik 3–6, 2–6.

2007–2008

At Wimbledon 2007, partnering Richard Bloomfield. This was his best Grand Slam performance until 2012. His doubles ranking was a lot higher than in singles, so he took the opportunity to play better tournaments in doubles than singles. He continued to compete on the Challenger tour, although he eventually stopped playing singles matches.
Following the Championships, Marray was injured and after shoulder surgery, he struggled to find form and confidence, and considered quitting. Marray didn't play again until Wimbledon 2008 where he and Alex Bogdanovic were beaten in the first round. At his next tournament, Marray and Frederik Nielsen reached the finals of the Dublin Challenger.

In December 2008, Marray partnered Colin Fleming whose regular partner Ken Skupski was resting, and played in the Czech Republic, winning two Futures in Frydland Nad Ostravici, and Opava

2009

In January, Marray and Richard Bloomfield

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