‘Referee Said He Couldn’t Do Anything’ – Andy Murray’s Mother, Judy Murray Recalls Horrific Incident as She Demands Safer Ways to Report Abuse

Judy Murray is an advocate of fairness and equality. Mother of Andy Murray, Judy has been connected to the sport for a pretty long time. A Scottish player herself, she coached Andy Murray, as well as captained the Britain Fed Cup team.

Recently, while speaking to a media house, Judy spoke about the importance of having a secure way of reporting abuse on tennis players. Elaborating on her point, she recalled an incident involving the abuse of a junior player at one of the major events.

Judy Murray recalls a terrifying coach-player incident

Judy Murray has been in the shoes of a coach for a long time. As a result, she is quite aware of the proceedings unfolding behind the scenes. Indulging in a conversation about abuse of players with a media house, Judy Murray recalled one such terrible incident.

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The incident involved a 13-year-old junior player being physically abused by her coach at a major event. Talking in continuation about the non-existence of a secure reporting channel, Murray said, “That’s one of the biggest problems. Who do you speak to? I once reported a coach-slash-father who had a junior player – a 13-year-old girl – by the throat against the outside back wall of a tennis venue at a major event.”

Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – June 30, 2021 Judy Murray, mother of Britain’s Andy Murray in the stands before his second round match against Germany’s Oscar Otte REUTERS/Toby Melville

Abuse of any form is a crime in the eyes of law. It goes without saying that reporting such an incident is of utmost importance. Seeing the coach having the 13-year-old by her throat, she told the referee about the horrific incident, only to learn that nothing can be done about it.

She said, “The referee said he couldn’t do anything as it was the parent.”

Importance of having a safe and secure reporting system

Considering this incident, Judy went on to elaboratee about the importance of having a reporting system in place. She emphasized the importance of having a system that actually acts on the problem than just avoiding or dodging it.

“It’s vital that if we see, hear or experience any kind of abuse – physical, financial, emotional, or verbal – that there is a trusted and secure means of reporting it and an assurance that it will be acted upon and not brushed under the carpet,” she asserted.

She summarized her point in a line saying, “It’s important to marry that with a safe and secure reporting system.”

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Do you agree with Judy Murray’s standpoint?

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