"Hope there's a lasting legacy"- Andy Murray's mother Judy on her recent comments about her boys changing "the face of Scottish tennis"
Andy Murray's mother, Judy Murray, opened up on her recent comments about how her boys changed "the face of Scottish tennis" through their achievements. She said so in light of Andy Murray's approaching retirement from the sport.
Andy Murray underwent surgery on a spinal cyst a few days before starting his campaign at Wimbledon 2024. Subsequently, he withdrew from the singles competition and played doubles with his brother Jamie Murray.
The duo lost to John Peers and Rinky Hijikata 6-7 (6), 4-6, which marked Andy Murray's most recent and final appearance in the London Major. The 37-year-old also bid an emotional farewell on the center court after the match.
Murray, who had previously expressed his desire to retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics, recently confirmed that the marquee event will be his final competition before retirement.
In light of his retirement, his mother Judy proudly highlighted the evolution of tennis in Scotland over the years. Speaking to "The Scottish Sun" recently, the 64-year-old emphasized how her sons' achievements transformed Scottish tennis. While Andy is a three-time Major champion, his brother Jamie is a seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion.
“When I started as a volunteer coach at Dunblane Tennis Club in 1989 when Jamie and Andy were toddlers, I never imagined I would one day become Scotland’s national coach or Britain’s women’s team captain. Nor would I have imagined that the boys would become Grand Slam champions and world number 1s," Judy said.
Judy added that nobody aspired to be a great player in her country as the sports clubs lacked facilities.
"Our club was a four-court community sports club run by volunteers. In those days Scotland had hardly any tennis coaches and no indoor courts, so it was a summer sport with limited infrastructure and no track record of success internationally. So nobody aspired to be a great player or a great coach," she opined.
Judy Murray praised her sons' achievements saying that they would inspire a lot of youngsters to follow their passions.
"What the boys did was incredible. It changed the face of Scottish tennis and I hope it inspires lots of Scottish youngsters to follow their dreams and believe that anything’s possible if you work hard and smart,” she added.
The 64-year-old recently reacted to those comments on X ( formerly Twitter) and highlighted how the sport previously drew little attention in her country, but her sons' success brought significant media coverage.
"When I was Scottish #1, one man + his dog watched finals of our major events + there was a single line in the results service in national papers. Andy + Jamie made tennis front + back page news + built a massive fan base for our sport. Let’s hope there is a lasting legacy," Judy Murray wrote.
Andy Murray has reached Paris for his final Olympic campaign, will be vying for a fourth medal in the event
Andy Murray recently reached the French capital to represent Great Britain at the forthcoming Summer Olympic Games. He recently posted an image in his Instagram story to announce his arrival.
The three-time Major champion will be joined by the likes of Jack Draper, Dan Evans, and Cameron Norrie in Great Britain's men's team. Murray is a three-time Olympic medalist, having won two golds in singles (London 2012 and Rio 2016) and a silver in the mixed doubles alongside Laura Robson (London 2012).
Moreover, he is also the only male player in the history of the marquee event to win two singles gold medals. The tennis in the Olympics is set to begin on Saturday, July 27.