Andy Murray’s Mother Explains Her Woes Over the Future of Scottish Tennis

Ever since the rise of tennis stars Jamie and Andy Murray, there were attempts to improve tennis facilities in Scotland as more people willingly took up the sport. The popularity of the sport increased when the Murray brother achieved the no.1 ranking in singles and doubles respectively, in 2016.

During the same year, Lawn Tennis Association(LTA) collaborated with tennis Scotland to improve the number of indoor courts present over a period of five years. As years progressed, there is little development on that front.

Judy Murray expresses the need for Scottish tennis to ramp up facilities in the country

Expressing her disappointment over Scotland unable to bank upon the popularity of Murray brothers, Judy Murray feels that the country might never get a second chance to make their mark on the sport.

“I predicted, quite some time ago, that Jamie and Andy would retire and there would be nothing to show for it, and I really feel that now. We will never get this chance again”, Judy said. Judy has been an active campaigner for the rise of tennis in Scotland.

Andy’s brother Jamie also anchored his mother’s opinion during a breakfast program for the BBC Scotland Radio.

“Ultimately if we stopped playing tomorrow, and you drive around Scotland, what is there to show for all the achievements, particularly Andy’s achievements. I just don’t see how we’ve got anything to show for it, which I think is really sad”.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – NOVEMBER 07: Andy Murray and Jamie Murray celebrate a point in their match against Tim Henman and Mansour Bahrami during Andy Murray Live at The Hydro on November 7, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images for Andy Murray Live)

With both the Murray brothers approaching retirement, it’s only fair that Judy Murray is concerned about the next generation of tennis talents from Scotland. However, Tennis Scotland Chief Executive Blane Dodds share a completely different perspective.

Dodds believes that the Murray legacy will flourish as more number of children are willing to take up the sport these days.

Tennis Scotland Chief Executive believes the legacy of Andy Murray will continue to flourish in Scotland

“With record numbers of community club members enjoying tennis, coming to tennis in their droves, I think that’s testament to all of the tennis community coming together.I am very confident that we are on the right track”, Dodds opined.

The chief executive of Scotland Tennis also mentioned the pandemic as one of the reasons for delay in the increase of indoor courts in the country and they are ramping up the process to achieve their set target.

Oct 12, 2021; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Andy Murray (GBR) hits a shot against Alexander Zverev (GER) during a third round match in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

As Judy and Jamie pointed out, Scottish tennis has to take over the reins of Andy Murray as he is in the final leg of his professional career.

While the chances of seeing another Andy looks difficult at the moment, efforts can be made to produce the right infrastructure for aspiring youngsters to practice and play at the highest level.

Also read: Emma Raducanu Rooting For Lewis Hamilton to Win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award 2021

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