Seven-time major doubles champion Jamie Murray is back as a BBC Sport columnist over the Wimbledon fortnight.

Last year I became a father for the first time and having my daughter Ava at my matches at Wimbledon makes me feel so fortunate.

Recently we celebrated her first birthday and it is amazing how quickly the time has gone. It has been an amazing year and such a journey for me and my wife Alejandra.

Ava is at an amazing age where she’s just about walking and so many things change in her development from Monday through to Sunday.

That’s why I’m so pleased both my daughter and my wife have been able to travel to some of my tournaments this year.

The life of a tennis player means you are on the road for so many weeks of the year and it means you spend a lot of time away from home.

With Ava being so young still, my family were able to come to Australia at the start of the year and were also in the US for the ‘Sunshine Double’ in Indian Wells and Miami.

While Alejandra and Ava weren’t at the events, they were staying close by with family and I could see them before and after the tournaments.

They also came to Madrid as well, so we have managed to spend some decent time together. It is very different compared to how it used to be before Ava arrived, but it is fun.

Alejandra and I feel very fortunate to have Ava here in our lives.

At Wimbledon Alejandra and Ava came to watch my mixed doubles match on Sunday. They watched the warm-up – but then, like most babies, Ava didn’t want to sit still.

Alejandra took her away from the match but it was still lovely to have her around and made the day really special.

I’ve no idea if I’ll still be playing when Ava’s old enough to absorb it more, but it would be nice to have her sitting at a match and enjoying it.

I’m 37 now and even if I play until I’m 40 – which I think I can – kids still don’t have a big attention span at the age of four.

Her watching me play when she’s older isn’t necessarily what gives me the motivation to keep playing – it’s more about me still feeling good and feeling fit.

My body is in good health and I haven’t had bad injuries or major surgeries – touch wood.

What provides me with motivation is getting out there on court and still trying to get better.

Michael Venus and I can do good things in the men’s doubles. We’ve been consistent in the past few months, we can still compete in the big tournaments and hopefully win some. Our level is there.

Another thing which still gives me the buzz is playing in front of good crowds, especially at Wimbledon, where there is great atmosphere and a lot of people wanting autographs.

That’s what makes it all worthwhile and that’s what is fun. When you stop playing you won’t get that any more and it’s gone forever.

Why I’m dipping my toe into TV work

I don’t know how much longer I will be able to play. Hopefully that will be a few years away – I’ve no plans yet to retire.

For those players who have things set up for when they stop playing, that thought of retirement is not as scary.

But if I stop playing tomorrow it’ll be like “woah, what am I going to do now?”

So, as I approach the end of my career, it is important to start thinking about how the future might look when my playing days are finally over.

That is one of the reasons why I will be working as part of the UK television coverage at the US Open later this year.

I’ll be doing pieces on site for Sky Sports during the tournament, not in the commentary booth calling matches, but more providing analysis and colour from a player’s perspective.

That could be going around the grounds, previewing the matches, or discussing the talking points on the tour at that time.

The fact I’m a player competing in the tournament and know what’s going on in the locker room – how the players are feeling about the event; the main talking points in there – means I can bring a unique perspective from that side.

I hope I can get across a real feel of what’s happening on the ground at Flushing Meadows. That means talking about the set-up, the conditions, life in New York.

I wouldn’t say working in television is something I’ve thought loads about before. At this stage it is a case of dipping my toe in, but I will be taking it very seriously and might like to do more of it.

A lot of players go into the media; a lot go into coaching. Becoming a tournament director, like I have done at the Battle of Brits exhibition, is another path.

In the tennis industry it is possible to combine all those things and I guess that is why a lot of former players do that is because a lot of the roles are not full-time.

For example, being tournament director in certain events is not a full-time, 48-week role. It might just be a six-week or eight-week thing.

It is the same with commentating. They’re not doing 30 weeks behind the microphone – it might just be 10 or 15 weeks with a certain broadcaster – so they have still got two-thirds of a year or half a year to do other things.

What I will end up eventually doing after playing might be down to timing, depending on what opportunities are available.

For now, working on the US Open television coverage is a really exciting opportunity and I’m already looking forward to being in New York.

Jamie Murray was speaking to BBC Sport’s Jonathan Jurejko at Wimbledon.