Jamie Murray has made history by becoming the first British tennis player to compete in 1,000 tour-level doubles matches.
The Scots star marked the historic moment as he stepped onto the court at the BNP Paribas Open on Monday, becoming the first Briton and only the second active player, joining Marcelo Melo, to accomplish the feat.
Discussing the milestone after he and partner Adam Pavlasek defeated Ariel Behar and Robert Galloway, Murray, 39, said: ‘It is something I’m proud of and I think it shows longevity, being able to play on the Tour for that long and still be going.
‘I had zero awareness of it, to be honest, until Dubai actually, and someone asked me how many matches I’ve played.
‘I thought I’d only played like 800, so that was kind of a pleasant surprise.’
Murray later shared a post by the ATP Tour marking his achievement.
Jamie Murray has made history after playing his 1,000th tour-level match
The achievement is yet another feather in the cap for the Murray family, including brother Andy
Jamie and Andy Murray owe much of their success to the influence of their mother Judy
Alongside it, he wrote: ‘Feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to play this sport at the highest level since 2007.
‘The tour has grown so much in that time and it’s amazing to still be able to come and play at these incredible events with the best players in the world.’
Several fellow tennis stars and sports personalities were quick to congratulate him on the milestone.
Former player Bruno Soares said: ‘Well done my man. Happy to be part of so many.’
Pundit and former Rangers star Ally McCoist wrote: ‘Superb mate.’
Murray played his first tour-level match 19 years ago in Nottingham alongside brother Andy, who was then just 19.
Despite being somewhat in the shadow of his younger brother, the older Murray is without doubt one of the best doubles players of his generation.
During his 20-year career he has been ranked the number one men’s doubles player in the world – the first Brit to achieve the accolade.
He has also won 34 tour-level men’s doubles titles, including triumphs at the Australian Open and US Open in 2016.
Jamie has spoken in the past about the fierce rivalry he had with brother Andy
However, he has spoken in the past of being constantly asked about his younger brother despite his own achievements.
During his run at Wimbledon in 2015 he said: ‘I mean, I spent most of my life that way.
‘You know, people come and talk to me because they want to talk about Andy, which is fair enough. That’s how it goes. I accept that.’
Only 15 months older than his brother, Murray leaned to play tennis under the eagle eye of their committed mother Judy, with an early rivalry springing up between the pair at their Dunblane family home.
He once recalled a pivotal moment as the two returned home after a junior tournament.
He said: ‘Mum was driving the minibus and he [Andy] had beaten me in the final of the under-10s or under-12s or something and he was giving me stick about it.
‘I turned round and grabbed his armrest.
‘I banged his hand with it. His nail did not recover for years and probably still, if you look at it now, is not completely like the rest of them. A little reminder for him not to mess with me.’
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