"I think we should have a statue for her, I don’t think she’s appreciated enough" - Billie Jean King on Andy Murray's mother Judy
Billie Jean King has paid rich tribute to Andy Murray's mother, Judy Murray, in a recent interview with The Herald Scotland.
King, who has been in Glasgow lately ahead of the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup, highlighted Judy Murray's immense contribution to tennis at all levels in Scotland.
The 12-time singles Major champion firmly believes Judy Murray deserves the richest plaudits for creating two champions in the shape of her sons Andy and Jamie and helping tennis grow from the grassroots.
“I want to thank Judy Murray for all she’s done for Scottish tennis, she’s amazing and is one of my sheroes,” King said. “Not only did she have two champions in Andy and Jamie Murray in 2016 when they were both World No. 1 but what she does at grassroots level and what she does for communities and getting people to play – I think we should have a statue for her, I’ve been thinking about that for a long time. I don’t think she’s appreciated enough."
King believes Judy Murray's eagerness to bring change is what "makes the world a better place."
“She pushes and some people don’t like that but that’s what makes the world a better place," King added.
“My reflection on the last four or five months is that I’ve not been doing enough work to perform at the level I need to" - Andy Murray
Andy Murray, meanwhile, finished as the runner-up at the Stuttgart Open in June but has since failed to string more than two wins in a row at any of the nine tournaments he has featured in.
Most recently, he lost in his opening match at the Paris Masters to Gilles Simon, despite serving for the match.
The three-time Major champion expressed his dismay at his overall poor form, fitness, and mood over the past few months while recently speaking to Evening Standard.
“I was pretty downbeat with the last few months,” Andy Murray said. “The last seven or eight tournaments, I had issues with cramping and I’ve never had that consistently. So, I’m extremely disappointed.
“I can deal with losing a tennis match as it’s a difficult sport and you sometimes don’t perform as well as you’d like but there’s no excuse for being let down physically."
Murray believes he needs to put more effort into his game and fitness to fulfill his goals.
“My reflection on the last four or five months is that I’ve not been doing enough work to perform at the level I need to," Andy Murray said. "I need to change that if I want to get back to the top of the game.”