Judy Murray, mother of former world number one tennis players Andy and Jamie Murray, is calling on the government to provide coaches at public tennis courts and install a specialist PE teacher in every primary school to make the sport less elite and promote physical activity.
The tennis coach said: “Helping our kids to develop physical literacy, for me, is just as important as numerical and alphabetical skills.” She made the comments as Wimbledon fans enjoy the tournament, where she was backing Jack Draper – coached by her son Sir Andy – before he withdrew with an arm injury, and now supports top seed Jannik Sinner.
Tennis Must Be Affordable and Accessible
Judy, 66, who lives in Scotland, said: “The perception of tennis for many people is that it's difficult to access, difficult to do and expensive. Not everybody's got money to pay for coaching. I think for us to really open the game up more, or put it into places where it doesn't exist, it needs to be accessible.”
She added: “I want the government to provide coaches at public tennis courts. Loads of people take up tennis at this time of year because of Wimbledon and we need to catch them and keep them. The key? Show them how it’s done.”
“If you're going along to play anything for the first time or the second time and you quite enjoy it, it's good if there's somebody there that can actually show you what to do. You need people driving activity on a regular basis and creating a community hub or club around them. That's the way that you retain people in the game.”
Specialist PE Teachers in Primary Schools
Surrounded by sport this summer with Wimbledon, the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, Judy wants to harness enthusiasm for physical activity starting in the classroom. She said: “I would like to see, certainly in Scotland, them putting a PE teacher, a specialist, qualified, PE teacher, into every primary school. That would be a legacy from all of these summer activities that would have an effect on every child in a primary school.”
“If you can do that in primary schools and foster a love of exercise and being physically active, it will stay with kids. It will help them to develop the coordination skills that underpin all sports at a young age. It's too late to wait until secondary school. If I had a message to any politician that has a decision-making position, I would say ‘put a PE teacher in every single primary in the country.’”
Scotland crashed out of the World Cup in the group stages, but Judy said more prominence for PE in schools would help create future football stars: “If we develop more of those skills at a young age and we improve on them as they get older, we will develop more skilful athletes, footballers.”
Dr Beckmann Partnership and White Clothing Waste
Judy is speaking as part of a partnership with household cleaning products company Dr Beckmann, which saw her unveil a giant 'Murray Mound' created from discarded white garments on London's Southbank. It symbolises the estimated 440 million items of white clothing that Brits discard annually, according to the firm.
Keen to illustrate the need for recycling, Judy said: “Too many things are discarded without thought. That can have a huge impact on the environment. We all need to take more responsibility and recycling, reselling or taking better care of white clothing is one more thing that needs to be addressed.”
Reduce Screen Time for Children
Made an OBE in 2017 for services to tennis, women in sport, and charity, Judy is also keen to reduce reliance on screen time, particularly for children. She said: “We are leading more sedentary lifestyles because of screens and children most certainly are. I say put the screens down, get outside, get active. Pick up a tennis racket. It's not just the physical and mental health aspects that come with being active, it's actually the life skills that you can develop through being part of a sport that help you to deal with life in the future.”
Watching Her Sons Play: 'Mini Heart Attacks'
A devoted mum, Judy has been a stalwart supporter of both her sons’ tennis careers, which saw Sir Andy win three majors – the 2012 US Open and Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 – while doubles player Jamie became the first Brit to win a major title at Wimbledon for 20 years, when he won the mixed doubles with Serbia's Jelena Jankovic in 2007. They are also the first brothers to simultaneously hold ATP world No.1 rankings in singles and doubles, in 2016.
But watching them play could be gruelling. Judy said: “I'll tell you what it's like watching my boys play tennis. It's like a series of mini heart attacks and severe nausea all going on at the same time. And, quite frankly, I'm surprised I'm still alive after all these years and all these roller coasters. I had a double whammy of it, because I had both of my kids playing, one playing singles, one playing doubles.”
“I have to say it's very stressful and I think it becomes even more stressful when they get to the top of the game, because on the way up it's actually more exciting. It's still nerve-wracking, but once you're at the top, everybody's trying to knock you off and there's huge media attention, fan expectation. It's not so much fun at the very top.”
Judy will be back at Wimbledon next week watching Jamie play in the invitational men's doubles for retired players.
Coaching Made Her a Better Mum
Being a coach, she said, has made her a better mum. “When the boys became pros, I wasn't their coach, I was managing a lot of the things around their careers. My feeling always, as both a parent and a coach, is that you are preparing them to be able to do life without you. So the more you can help them to understand how to look after themselves and take responsibility, you know, the better. Whether that's packing your own school bag, choosing your own lunch, helping in the supermarket, understanding how much things cost. Instead of doing everything for them, try to make them do things for themselves.”
However, tough-talking Judy said she’s a softie as a grandma to her five grandchildren. “I think I'm probably not as firm as I was with my own kids with my grandkids. I am a bit of a pushover granny, but I'm a very active granny. I'm not going to teach them how to play tennis, I'm going to teach them how to dance.”
Dr. Beckmann has launched The Washing Line, a dedicated laundry hotline (+441618412861), offering expert advice on tackling stains, dullness and discolouration this Wimbledon fortnight.
