Tennis shoes are fast becoming the bane of Andy Murray’s existence. Just weeks after Murray’s sweat-soaked footwear hampered his efforts to establish a two-set lead over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open, the former world No 1 has had his sneakers stolen – with his wedding ring attached to the laces.
Murray’s latest shoe-related crisis began following a practice session at Indian Wells, where he is preparing for his opening round match against Adrian Mannarino of France. After training in heat touching 40C, Murray went off for dinner and left his shoes – which, the Scot said in an Instagram video, had become “damp, sweaty and smelly” – in his car.
Greeted by a pungent aroma on his return, and staying in a hotel room with no balcony, Murray hit upon the novel solution of leaving the offending footwear under his car to air. When he returned the following morning, the shoes had gone.
“My tennis shoes for the tournament had been stolen, so I had to go to a local pro shop and buy different shoes to what I normally wear, different brand and everything – which isn’t the end of the world, but obviously not ideal,” said Murray.
What he had overlooked, however, was his long-standing habit of tying his wedding ring to his shoelaces, a routine Murray established at the BMW Open in Munich in May 2015, a month after his marriage to Kim Sears, because the band caused him discomfort when hitting his two-handed backhand.
“As I was preparing for my practice, my physio said to me, ‘Where’s your wedding ring?’ And I was like ‘Oh, no.’ I basically tie my wedding ring to my tennis shoes when I’m playing, because I can’t play with it on my hand. So yeah, my wedding ring’s been stolen as well.”
“Needless to say, I’m in the bad books at home, so I want to try and find it. If anyone can share this or may have any clue where they may be, it would be very helpful so I can try and get it back.”
In a comment written below his video appeal, Murray, 34, pondered what the reward should be for the safe return of the ring and added: “Yes, I know I’m an idiot and in hindsight it seems like a terrible idea.”