The US Open
Charlie Robertson: Once a future gardener, Murray mentee makes his mark at US Open
Read about 17-year-old Scot
September 05, 2024
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Charlie Robertson is competing in his first US Open men’s singles major.
Written by Andrew Eichenholz
Briton Jack Draper basked in the sunshine at the US Open, advancing to his first Grand Slam semi-finals since the retirement of former World No. 1 Andy Murray. But Draper isn’t the only Briton making his mark in New York.
17-year-old Charlie Robertson is in the semi-finals of the boys’ singles event and two carts away from becoming the first British boys’ singles champion at Flushing Meadows since Oliver Golding in 2011.
“It’s really exciting for Jack to reach the men’s semi-finals,” Robertson told ATPTour.com. “But I’m very happy for him. I also hit with him at Queen’s and he looked like he was working hard and a good guy again. Just nice to see another Brit doing so well.
“I think it’s good for everyone who plays British tennis. For me, when people do well, you just say, ‘I also want to reach what he is’. It will be huge for British tennis in a positive way.”
Robertson grew up on a farm in northern Scotland. Her older sister, Kirsty (23), and her older brother, Harry (21), were in the dance class. Charlie was too young to participate, but from the age of four he was hitting the wall. His efforts were impressive enough to be placed in the class despite his age and he quickly fell in love. But even the Scot was enjoying his time at home.
“For my brother and sister, I was really into the farm and the animals,” Robertson said. “I used to herd sheep, that’s what I got. I truly loved you. I think my father thought I would be a farmer, but I enjoyed sports a lot and I loved tennis, so I decided to do that.”
As Robertson progressed, it became clear that he had to move to the GB National Tennis Academy at the University of Stirling for better training.
“We had to sell our farm to find a place to live in Stirling, a home,” said Robertson. “From there I continued to play and it was fun.”
The No. 23 player in the ITF Junior Rankings, Robertson is already one of the best juniors in the world. Unsurprisingly, Murray, already a Top 20 player in the PIF ATP Rankings when Robertson was born, was his role model.
“Seeing him, a Scotsman doing it means a lot to me obviously. Being from Scotland, it’s unbelievable to see a Scottish boy doing so well. So for me, it was always Andy,” Robertson said. “Andy has always been my inspiration since I was young and knowing that someone can do something from where he trained and where he was trained and grew up, inspires me a lot.”
They are very close this year. Andy’s older brother, Jamie Murray, is the tournament director at the Cinch Championships and invited Robertson to serve as his batting partner.
“It was special. Andy and I built our relationship there, so that was pretty special and I also got to bump into Alcaraz, which I thought was really cool,” Robertson said. “It was only once, but he asked me to beat him again, which was really nice, but I actually had to go and play the tournament myself!”
Charlie Robertson : the Scottish teenager who is following in Andy’s footsteps, is heading to New York for the US Open junior event next month. He is ranked 25th in the world and has just spent a week as Andy’s training partner.
Investing in the next generation. ❤️🏴 pic.twitter.com/Xd6epWYQFi— Judy Murray (@JudyMurray) July 23, 2024
Murray even had Robertson as a training partner before the Olympics, the final competition of his career. Andy’s mother, Judy Murray, wrote: “It’s been 20 years since Andy won the US Open junior event in 2004 and it’s great to see him investing in the next generation. There is no better and faster way to learn than working with someone who has been there and done it.”
“I can’t thank the Murray family enough. They have been so supportive and I can’t thank you enough for supporting me and supporting Scot. It’s really special,” said Robertson. “With what he’s done for tennis and how he’s giving back now that he’s done, it’s amazing to me.”
