Mark Petchey: A masterclass in life after professional tennis

Life after professional sport can be difficult. After dedicating your life to a singular goal for so long, many sportspeople can feel stranded when their professional career wraps up.

So what does an ex-pro get up to after their playing career is over? Former tennis player Mark Petchey spills the beans on his current exploits and his love of literature.

“Four months after I stopped playing professionally, I was approached by someone in athletics management to see if I could help a Croatian player (Silvija Talaja) who was 90 in the world.

“I thought it was a good idea and it turned out it was.”

Talaja reached a high of number 17 in the world under Petchey’s coaching influence, and from there he went on to bigger things.

Petchey became the LTA Manager of Men’s National Training in 2003, before leaving to coach Andy Murray in 2005. He stayed with Murray for 10 months, coaching him into the world top 50 from a ranking of 351st in the world.

Nowadays, Petchey has dedicated himself to coaching anyone who wants to improve their game – yes, that includes members of the public. He’s been working with Neilson Holidays to coach holidaymakers in Croatia for the last two years.

“I love coaching people. It’s always been and always will be my greatest passion.”

It’s not only coaching that keep’s Petchey’s passion for tennis alive. He plays a commentary role for Sky Sports and the BBC, relishing delving into the statistics to bring viewers the small pieces of information they can’t hear anywhere else. The main thing, Petchey says, is to show enthusiasm.

“I could be on air at 6am in the morning or 1am at night depending where the tournaments are being played. You always need to bring the same energy no matter the time of day.”

“I don’t see a lot of my old playing friends apart from at the four Grand Slams. It’s always great to catch up and see them. We like to swap old war stories and bore our kids senseless of past and very much faded glories!”

It sounds like this ex-pro is pretty busy, but he still finds time for more cerebral pursuits.

“My greatest pastime is reading. I love books and when I find one I love will read it all night till its finished.”

When he’s not reading his favourite authors, Haruki Murakami and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, he “might occasionally be found in the cinema or once in a while my local pub”.