Wimbledon 2012: Jonathan Marray measured up for stardom after doubles triumph following years of despair "It is not easy," Marray said of the tour's inexorable grind. Expensive pastime too. You have to pay for all your flights. The accommodation is covered by tournaments most of the time, but I am not getting all the equipment for free, so it is an expensive business so when you are not winning, you are not earning money. But the Lawn Tennis Association has had a bonus structure in the last few years which has really helped guys who are making the transition from Challengers to the tour, because there is a big gulf in the money. If you are playing Nottingham, say, and are runner-up - even if you win it - you are making less than £500, and you are not always winning. So that bonus structure has helped us keep going. Previously, the biggest cheque of Marray's career was around £10,000 for reaching the third round of the doubles at Wimbledon and the US Open. Now, he and his partner Frederik Nielsen are around £130,000 richer. Not that money was weighing too heavily on Marray's mind as he bathed in the warm glow of his most unlikely triumph. How will it change my life? I don't think it will. I don't know really, I've not thought about that," he said. An invitation to the Wimbledon Ball was just the first of the many invitations that will be dropping onto his doormat in the next few weeks. His win on Saturday night will put him in the top 20 of the doubles rankings when they are released on Monday morning, earning him automatic entry to the world's most lucrative tournaments, and almost certainly the ATP Tour Finals in London in November. Not a bad fortnight's work for a player who thought he had narrowly missed out on Wimbledon qualification until he was given a wild card by the organisers. Marray was a promising singles player in his youth, reaching the third round at Queen's Club in 2004 and threatening to break into the top 200. But his career ground to a halt after shoulder surgery in 2007. Scarcely able to win a match and suffering from a lack of confidence, he considered packing in the sport. "I did think about it, but never really took any steps to do it," he said. When you are down, you always question yourself, but I always thought I could achieve something. Then I made the third round here, and my doubles ranking was a lot higher than in singles, so there was an opportunity to play better tournaments. I had seen how other doubles players were making a decent living out of it. And my game was always suited to it. I was always a serve and volley player. With the help of sports psychologist Richard de Souza, Marray got himself back on track. When you are playing Challengers and not always getting the results you want, it can be quite demoralising, but I have been looking at the bigger picture a bit more, with help from Richard. He has been the biggest help to my tennis this year. A lot of my performances this week have to be put down to the work I have done with him. Now the big stage beckons, although Marray was determined not to let stardom go to his head. He maintained that he still intended to fly "cattle class." "I will probably stick with economy class," he said. For a six-hour flight, it's not really worth it. I'll stick with what I am doing. EARNINGS: Jonathan Marray earned just £31,219 in prize money in 2011; the cash prize from Saturday's final win alone was £130,000. SCHEDULE: Marray's next engagement would probably have been the Mercedes Cup in Germany next week, with a prize fund of £350,000. Now, the next big date is the US Open and the Barclays ATP Tour World Finals at the O2 Arena. SOCIAL LIFE: Marray's schedule usually revolves around drab but reasonably-priced hotel rooms on the ATP Tour; last night he went to the Wimbledon champions" ball. The invite for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award is surely in the post.