LONDON: British tennis superstar Andy Murray has expanded his business portfolio further by investing in a tennis mobile app Deuce, according to a Forbes report.
Deuce was founded by Mat Willcocks, who had previously run UK’s largest tennis academy, Gosling Tennis Academy, for 12 years.
It is claimed that the app is to tennis what Uber is to taxis and Airbnb is for accommodation.
The app helps players look for courts and coaching sessions across the United Kingdom, making it simpler and affordable for people to play the game.
“Tennis is a great way to fulfill our fundamental needs as humans, namely to get better at things and to connect with others,” Willcocks told Forbes.
“Tennis provides the opportunity to develop one’s own, mental and physical skills in a place that has a great community.
“Deuce just makes it simple, fun and affordable to play tennis and fulfill those needs.”
With this venture, Murray aims to increase tennis participation in the country. This might be the best period in British tennis history with the likes of Johanna Konta and Kyle Edmund performing well at the international level.
“There are lots of schemes out there for encouraging participation but this is the first time I’ve backed something like this,” Murray said.
“The team behind Deuce are really impressive and they have a working knowledge of tennis and tennis clubs in this country so they really understand the issues and the potential.”
“Tennis is such a great sport with so many benefits – physical, mental and social, but we simply don’t have enough people playing in this country. We need to fill empty courts with people playing more often and Deuce uses today’s technology to do this in a simple, welcoming and affordable way.”
Willcocks confirmed that Murray will be actively involved with the firm as they look for more investors. Plans for launches in London and Scotland are on, while they would aim to make the most of the upcoming Wimbledon championships.
“Andy loves the sport and would love to see more people playing,” Willcocks added.
“We have been in discussions with him and his team at 77 for over a year and we have worked with them to refine the initiative as you see it now and will see it in the future.
“Andy’s investment is of great value. We are seeking further investment to enable us to welcome more people into the sport as quickly as we can.”
