Andy Murray to marry Kim Sears in his own hotel

Wedding tradition often dictates that the nuptials take place in the bride’s home town but not when the groom is Andy Murray.

The tennis champion will marry Kim Sears at his own five-star hotel in Perthshire, just a few kilometres from where he grew up in Dunblane.

The ceremony will seal a nine-year courtship which has been far from average in itself.

In the course of their relationship, Murray and Sussex-born Sears, both 27, have spent weeks, and thousands of kilometres, apart as he competes in tournaments across the globe.

They have celebrated two Grand Slam wins together, but Sears was also there to pick up the pieces when he dashed the nation’s Wimbledon hopes, losing to Roger Federer in 2012.

On occasions when Sears does join him on tour, the scrutiny turns to his girlfriend, as it did last week when she uttered a few choice words during Murray’s match against Tomas Berdych at the Australian Open.

But perhaps like any other couple, they are most content spending time at home in Surrey.

They met as teenagers in 2005 through tennis circles. Sears’s father Nigel is a coach and former head of women’s tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association.

There was no hiding their relationship the following year when, after winning his first ATP Tour title at the SAP Open in San Jose, Murray ran into the stand to a grinning Sears, hugging and kissing her.

Murray claims not to have made up his mind yet if he will wear traditional Scottish dress or a morning suit to his wedding on April 11.

He said: “I think I’m going to have both options and see what I feel like in the morning when I wake up.”