“That piqued my interest in doing something like this,” Jamie adds. “Andy got some amazing comments about it, because people see him in a different light. Away from a tennis court, enjoying himself, messing around. Even yesterday, I’m talking to one of the runners [at the tournament] and he’s like, ‘Oh, when are you going to do a rematch with the Fore Bros?’”
Is there a contradiction between this new project and Andy’s stance on social media? Perhaps slightly, but then YouTube is more than just a smartphone-based medium. For anyone under 30, it is a rival to traditional TV. People watch it on all sorts of screens, including laptops or even desktop computers, often while they are supposed to be at work.
Teenagers in particular should warm to the KSI connection. In an echo of American counterpart Jake Paul, this former public schoolboy has built up 55 million social media followers through a variety of YouTube pranks and stunts. Yet Andy Murray’s own children – 10-year-old Sophia, nine-year-old Edie, seven-year-old Teddy and five-year-old Lola – are unlikely to be viewing KSI’s work in the short term. Murray says he is fully in support of the proposed social media ban for under-16s, because “it just removes a difficult part of parenting”.
“My kids don’t really watch YouTube and stuff,” Murray adds. “We try and keep them off screens as much as we can, try and keep them outside, running around, playing sports and being active. They all like different stuff. Some of them do a bit of athletics, and they do all the school sports, like hockey, netball, cricket, a bit of football.”
Judging by this description, Murray’s progeny sound unlikely to extend the family’s tennis dynasty, which started with mother Judy’s rise to Scottish No 1 in the 1970s. But then, it is hard to think of many really high-profile tennis players who have put their children on the court, with the exception of Bjorn Borg and his son Leo (whose world ranking peaked at No 334 three years ago). Having spent so many years in isolation, they tend to recommend the collegiate vibes of team sports instead.