- The Wimbledon champion's representatives have confirmed engagement
- Miss Sears has been in a relationship with Murray for more than nine years
- Proposal puts an end to years of speculation about the couple's future
Tennis star Andy Murray has proposed to Kim Sears, his partner of more than nine years.
The
Wimbledon champion's representatives have confirmed the engagement, but
have not released details or where the proposal took place.
Sussex-born
Miss Sears, who has an English Literature degree, has been in a
relationship with Murray after the pair met at the U.S. Open in 2005.
Her father is player-turned-coach Nigel Sears.
The
27-year-old has admitted he couldn't have come back to win Wimbledon in
2013 following his 2012 defeat if it hadn't been for her unwavering
support.
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Engaged at last: Tennis star Andy Murray has proposed to Kim Sears, his partner of more than nine years
Look of love: Left, a candid moment between the pair, and right, after winning Olympic gold in 2012
Unlike
many football WAGS, Miss Sears, 26, shys away from the spotlight as she
focuses on her career as an artist and looks after the couple's beloved
dogs Maggie May and Rusty at their home in Surrey.
Murray was on his way to the Philippines on Wednesday to play in the International Premier Tennis League.
But
he gave no indication of his big news, instead tweeting: 'Off to the
Philippines for the first time today, should be a fun trip... Anyone got
some suggestions for first time tourists in Manila?'
In
June it was reported that bookies believed the Scot had asked Sears to
marry him - after a flurry of betting on him popping the question at
Wimbledon.
Tennis
fans bet heavily on the champion to both retain his 2013 title and get
engaged at 8/1 with bookmaker William Hill, which eventually stopped
taking bets on it.
A spokesman said: 'That price was backed heavily. It indicates to us that he got engaged. Maybe someone saw him buying a ring?'
British tennis player Andy Murray
poses with the 2013 Wimbledon trophy along with his fiancee Kim Sears
during the Wimbledon Champions Dinner in July 2013, a day after he won
the men's singles final match
Kiss for a champion: Kim Sears reacts at the men's final at Wimbledon in July 2013
In
the past Murray has been notoriously reluctant to answer questions
about his relationship with Sears but earlier this year he was forced to
deny that he planned to marry her after joking about his love life on
Twitter.
Asked
when he plans to marry Miss Sears during a Twitter Q&A with fans in
January, Murray responded: 'We're getting married just after Wimbledon,
should be a great day.'
But
just hours later, Murray was forced to issue another tweet explaining
that his words were said with his tongue firmly in cheek after the
original message went viral.
Domesticity: The pair pop out to do some shopping in 2010
The tennis star's mother Judy and Sears celebrate his Wimbledon win over Stanislas Wawrinka in June 2009
Murray holds the British flag aloft following his 2012 Olympic triumph over Roger Federer
He tweeted: '3 things.. I don't smoke grass, I'm not getting married(yet) and I don't want to kill rafael Nadal.. [sic]'
At the time a spokesman for the star confirmed that 'Andy Murray is not getting married this summer.'
In
a previous interview with the Scottish Daily Mail he spoke about his
relationship with Miss Sears and confessed that he would like children
with her in future.
He
said: ‘I can see myself having a family one day. It is something that
I’m starting to think about because Kim and I have been together for
eight years.’
Family: Andy Murray and Kim Sears at the wedding of his brother Jamie Murray to Alejandra Gutierrez
It
emerged today that Murray has dispensed with the services of his
longstanding assistant coach Dani Vallverdu and respected physical
trainer Jez Green.
The
two have been working with him for five and seven years respectively,
and were key members of his team when Ivan Lendl became head coach and
Murray enjoyed success including a U.S. Open title, Olympic gold medal
and his historic Wimbledon triumph.
In
releasing a statement this afternoon, he reaffirmed his commitment to
working with Amelie Mauresmo next year, with whom he teamed up at the
start of this summer's grass court season.
One love: The story of Kim and Andy
Murray
has been living with Kim in Surrey since 2010 but she is forced to
spend a lot of time apart from him while he travels the world competing
in tournaments.
He once said: 'She has been with me since the second time I played Wimbledon, just after the first summer I played.
'It
has been good because her dad is a tennis coach and he still travels on
the tour. She understands the sport well and is used to being away from
her dad from a young age. She understands that sort of distant
relationship, and yes it works well.'
It is said the couple do not live a champagne lifestyle - preferring to play Scrabble and backgammon at home in Oxshott.
Early days: Andy Murray with girlfiend Kim Sears celebrates his win over Lleyton Hewitt in 2006
Sears
grew up in the village of Barcombe in West Sussex. Her father is Nigel
Sears, the head coach of women's tennis in the UK, and the sport
dominated her family life.
Even before she became Murray's girlfriend, she had travelled the world to attend Grand Slam events.
Murray
reportedly wooed her with phone calls and flowers. Even then, she was
not distracted by the romance, passing all her A-levels with straight
As.
She
then joined Team Murray and became her boyfriend's chauffeur. He bought
her a £40,000 Mercedes to thank her for patiently ferrying him around.
He added: 'I'm lucky. I know Kim isn't with me because I'm in the spotlight. When we met I was playing qualifiers.'
The couple split in November 2009 after four years together but, after seven months apart, got back together.
In
an interview in 2009 he added that he felt he was naturally a one-woman
man. 'It isn't that I have anything against people who want to go
drinking and find as many girls as they can.
'I
don't disagree with it, but it doesn't interest me that much. I don't
know whether that's because I've got an older head on my shoulders or
because I'm lucky to have Kim.'
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