After 43 partners in six years, Murray can relax after finally finding on-court match

Jamie Murray may have just missed out on qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals but the off-season will still be one that is far more enjoyable for the Scot than previous years.



At this point last year, Murray was in a state of limbo. Ranked in the mid-70s and playing second-tier Challenger events, the 27-year-old doubles specialist wasn’t quite sure who he’d be stepping on court with come 2013.



Murray could not have imagined that 12 months later he would have a chance of making the showpiece end-of-season event in London with Australian partner John Peers.



Change: Murray has had 43 different doubles partners since 2007

Winners: Murray (right) and Peers pose with their Thailand Open trophies

A first-round defeat in Paris this week put an end to their hopes but Murray can put his feet up during the two-month break safe in the knowledge that he has found a stable partner in Peers.



Astonishingly, since splitting up with American Eric Butorac at the US Open in 2007, Murray has had 43 different doubles partners. The days of frantic calls and messages in the lead-up to tournaments trying to find someone to play with are over for now.



Murray, now ranked No 31, said: ‘The number one thing in doubles is to find a regular partner so that you can establish an understanding and know what each other is trying to do.



‘I’ve had a lot of partners over the last few years because it’s really difficult trying to get in to certain tournaments. The divorce rate in doubles is really high as people are trying to find that perfect mix.’



It appears that mix has finally been found. Murray hooked up with 25-year-old Peers in February and the pair clicked after Wimbledon, winning titles in Gstaad and Bangkok and reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open.



Settled: Peers (left) seems to be the perfect tennis partner for Murray

Considering that they only played two of the nine Masters 1000 events and did not play the first Grand Slam of the year in Australia with each other, it was a remarkable effort to even come close to qualifying for London.



Murray said: ‘We believe in the team and it’s nice to have a settled partnership. There have been a lot of downs over the last 2 or 3 years, but I’ve never seriously thought about calling it a day.



‘You might say it sometimes in the heat of the moment, but I’ve learned a lot, and it’s all helped to get me where I am now, which is beyond what we would have expected when we got together.



‘My coach told me when we started this team that we could get to the 02 next year, but we nearly did it this year. We’re really pumped about next year, and determined to make the most of it.’



Brothers: Andy (left) and Jamie Murray of Great Britain play at the London 2012 Olympic Games

In this historic year for British tennis, it is a shame that there won’t be a single home representative at the O2 Arena next week. Like his older brother, Wimbledon champion Andy also misses out following back surgery last month.



Jamie hopes this will be the end of the discomfort that his sibling has endured on court in the past 18 months.



He said: ‘Andy’s been in really good spirits. The surgeon said the operation had been a success, which is great news.



‘I don’t think people really knew what he was going through with the back, and it’s tough to play tennis when you’re in so much pain.



‘I think he decided he’d just had enough of doing that. Hopefully this will be the end of it.’

Murray's partners since 2007 US Open

John Peers Andy Murray Colin Fleming Colin Ebelthite Josh Goodall Andre Sa Frantisek Cermak Marcos Baghdatis Carsten Ball Daniele Bracciali

Michael Kohlmann Jonny Marray Jurgen Melzer Paul Hanley Julien Benneteau Santiago Gonzalez Stephen Huss Gilles Muller Marcelo Melo Sergiy Stakhovsky

Chris Guccione Alexander Peya Stan Wawrinka Mischa Zverev Xavier Malisse Ken Skupski Ross Hutchins Scott Lipsky Jeff Coetzee Yuri Schukin

Jamie Delgado Jonathan Erlich Pavel Vizner Simon Aspelin Dusan Vemic Robert Lindstedt Jordan Kerr Feliciano Lopez Max Mirnyi Kevin Ullyett

Nicolas Lapentti Mark Knowle Tim Henman