Andy Murray: Bookies closes bets on defending champion proposing to girlfriend Kim Sears during Wimbledon

The tennis ace is thought to have already proposed to his girlfriend, William Hill implies

Andy Murray and his girlfriend Kim Sears have been enjoying London Fashion Week (EPA)

Bookies have closed bets on Andy Murray proposing to Kim Sears at Wimbledon because they believe the reigning Wimbledon champion could have secretly asked his long-term girlfriend to marry him already.

Engagement confirmation odds reached 7/2 – the same for Murray winning Wimbledon. William Hill has since closed the book.

“Gambles such as these are often proved correct so we believe that the announcement is imminent – but for the gamble to win he still needs to win Wimbledon,” a William Hill spokesperson told The Independent.

“We are still happy to offer 33/1 that Andy wins and gets down on one knee during his acceptance speech live on the BBC.”

Murray has always seemed somewhat resistant to the idea of getting engaged to Sears. They started dating in 2006, after meeting at the 2005 US Open, but the tennis player has determinedly fought off ongoing questions about his marriage plans.

In January he tweeted a ‘joke’, informing fans that he would marry his long-term girlfriend after Wimbledon 2014. He was later embarrassingly forced to tell the world that he didn’t mean it.

The sportsman has also said he rather enjoys the time they spend apart.

"She doesn't come to loads of tournaments as I also find being away from each other is good as well," he told The Times recently.

"If you spend three months in a row together, by the end of it we're like, you know, arguing and stuff."

Sears has been pictured without an engagement ring during her appearances at Wimbledon this week, but that’s not to say Murray hasn’t proposed.

Video: Andy Murray and Kim Sears at the Wimbledon Champions Ball last year

Murray’s mother, Judy Murray, has previously described Sears as "the best thing that ever happened to him".

She spent the morning of day three of the tournament handing out hot drinks to fans, saying that they deserve a "nice coffee to wake them up after a long night of queuing".