"Really important for women's tennis to have a male ally in someone like Andy Murray" - Brit's mother Judy
Andy Murray's mother Judy reckons women's tennis is lucky to have an ally in her son, who has taken it upon himself to bring attention to the sport and the women representing it.
In a recent interview for Eurosport, Judy hailed the three-time Grand Slam winner as a champion of women's tennis. She pointed out that it's important to have someone at the top of the game in the men's side highlighting women's issues.
“I think it’s really important for (women's) tennis to have a male ally in someone like Andy, who has been at the top of the game, won the biggest prizes in tennis and speaking on behalf of women," Judy Murray said.
The British tennis coach also added that her son is a student of the women's game, taking pride in the fact that he can answer any question about the top female players, as he watches a lot of women's tennis on TV.
"He is a huge student of the game in general, but he’s also a student of the women’s side of the game. So if you ask him a question about any of the top female players, he’ll give you a rundown on what they’ve won, what they’ve not won, how they play, etcetera etcetera because he watches a lot of women’s tennis on TV,” Judy Murray said.
"Andy Murray speaks out consistently about women's tennis, he doesn’t just do it once and switch off" - Judy Murray
Judy Murray went on to hail Andy Murray for speaking consistently about women's tennis. The reason where it all started for the Brit was his association with Amelie Mauresmo, says his mother:
“He speaks out consistently about (women's tennis). He doesn’t just do it once and switch off. He has done it for a number of years now, and, I think, a lot of it probably kicked off from when he started to work with Amelie," Judy Murray said.
Mauresmo, a former World No. 1 on the WTA Tour, coached Murray for two years between 2014 and 2016 -- one of the very few women to have coached top level ATP players.
Remarking that Murray made the decision to appoint Mauresmo as his coach simply because of her skill set and listening skills, which Judy feels is a "female skill," the Brit said that her son's actions made a big difference in the sport.
“He was in the top four of the game, and it was a big thing to many people for him to take on a female coach, but, for him, it was nothing to do with gender. It was all about personality fit, her skillset, her track record, and the fact that she listened," Judy Murray said.
"She was a great listener, which is a very female skill, in my opinion. He does it consistently, and I’m very glad that he does that because it makes a big difference to people listening,” she added.