I've been delighted by the increased attention paid to Jamie by the British media this year in Andy's absence from Wimbledon, not to mention his & Eric's win over the 7th seeds, Erlich & Ram, yesterday evening.   Below is an interview (well, more a Q&A) with him which appeared in yesterday's edition of Sport, a weekly freebie distributed at Tube & rail stations in London every Friday, for anybody who didn't see it.  It's a bit of a regurgitation of some (by now) fairly well-known facts, but it nevertheless comes over as honest enough & there are still one or two fresh insights...

Jamie Murray: more than Andy's brother

Jamie Murray is phlegmatic about the fact that he will always play second fiddle (or is that racket?) to younger brother Andy, but that hasn't stopped him making his own mark in the doubles game

While Andy Murray has been busy breaking into the world's top 10 for singles, his older brother, Jamie, has quietly been making progress of his own. He told Sport why he has chosen to pursue success in the doubles form of the game, why he wears his nickname on the back of his shirt and why he'll always be most famous for being Andy's brother...

As kids, did you and Andy have a fierce rivalry?

I don't know whether it was fierce, but we both wanted to win when we played tournaments, obviously. We played against each other a fair bit in competitions in Scotland, but it all stopped when Andy really got into it and moved to Barcelona to train when he was 15. I think it was worse for the other players, though - they would see us turn up and think: 'Oh no, here are the Murray brothers again.'

You have, of course, played doubles with Andy. How does that work?

It works well. I enjoy playing with Andy. We get on much better on court than we ever used to as kids, anyway! We've played a couple of tournaments this year and we got to the semi-finals in Doha. It is difficult for Andy because his priority is singles, but I hope we get the odd chance to play together.

These comparisons with your brother - will they always be there?

I don't know about that. I don't think anyone actually compares me to Andy. We're different players with different styles. He plays singles, I play doubles - I don't think we get compared.

Even so, are you pleased that you seem to be getting more recognition recently?

I am, but I think the reason I get attention is because of Andy. In fact, I'm sure of it. That's the reason people talk about me, because I'm Andy Murray's brother. They see my name and they know who I am because of Andy, but I'm fine with that. It's not a problem. He's one of the top 10 tennis players in the world. People are bound to ask about him and want to talk about him.

You don't mind that?

No, it's something I accept. It's actually really good that I've reached a certain level in my own game now, because that means I'm often at the same tournaments as Andy and we get to see each other. I think it helps Andy, too. It can get lonely for a singles player on tour - it's not so bad for me because I'm always with Eric at tournaments - so if we're both in the same place, we'll obviously meet up. We're very supportive of each other and we'll watch each other's matches as much as we can.

You seem to be making an impact in doubles - you and Eric Butorac are playing well together...

It's been going very well so far. Eric and I won our first-ever tournament together in a Challenger event and then we won back-to-back ATP Tour titles at San Jose and Memphis. We definitely didn't expect that to happen. The first one, in San Jose, was pretty special because Andy won the singles title there and then we won the doubles. It was a good time for the Murrays!

You've now broken into the world's top 50 for doubles. Are you proud of that?

Of course. I've very proud of the progress I've made in the past few months. I started 2007 just inside the top 80 in the doubles rankings and now I'm in the top 40. I played my first Davis Cup match for Britain, against Holland, in April and I was delighted with that. But I'm still young - I'm still learning and I want to get better.

What's with these nicknames you and Eric have given yourselves?

It's just a fun thing. I'm called Stretch, because I'm 6ft 3 ins and I have a long reach, and Eric is Booty, which is a play on his surname - he's been stuck with that since he was five, apparently. We have the names on the back of our shirts when we play.

That's not something tennis players do, is it?

No, it's not. It's our way of trying to make ourselves stand out, which isn't always easy for doubles players to do. We're the only ones who do it and it helps us to get noticed, so it's working. We have our own web site, too.

Why have you chosen to specialise in doubles?

It was the best direction for me to take and it has proved to be the right decision. My singles ranking wasn't good enough to get me into the bigger tournaments and I wanted to better myself. In doubles, my ranking now means I get seeded for some good tournaments. What I want do now is push on into the top 25, which means you get to play in ATP Masters Series events. I owe a lot to my coach, Louis Cayer. He has got so much improvement out of both me and my game.

So what's the key to a good doubles partnership?

It's all about the chemistry you have on court. There's something about how Eric and I gel that that really seems to work and not all of that can be coached. Our styles work well together, but it's good that we're friends, too. Frienship between doubles partners isn't vital, but it can help because you spend so much time together - you know, playing, training and travelling. Eric and I were friends before we started playing together anyway.

Was there a time when it seemed you might not fulfil your potential?

I had a difficult time when I moved to Cambridge for coaching. Things didn't work out for me. I think I was just too young - I was only 12 and leaving home in Scotland to go and live in Cambridge didn't suit me. I didn't really get on with coaching and I didn't cope with any of it all that well. I don't think many 12-year-olds would have coped with it, though.

Did you ever consider quitting the game?

I wouldn't say that, but I did go back to Scotland and it definitely put me off tennis for a bit. I stuck at it, though, and thankfully, things are now really on the up for me.