Judy Murray believes Tennis Scotland “missed the boat” to capitalise on her sons’ legacy now both have retired.
At the opening of three new padel courts at the Glasgow Club in Scotstoun, she said more work should have been done to improve participation in the sport during the Murray brothers’ dominance.
“There was a huge opportunity there because the role models were there, the shop window was there, and I don’t think it’s been capitalised on,” Murray told STV News.
“I would have liked to have seen many more kids competing at international level, but also more recreational tournaments, more recreational leagues and a lot more opportunities in terms of indoor facilities, cheap and affordable indoor facilities for people to play the game all year round.”
SNS GroupThe padel courts unveiled by Andy and Jamie Murray’s mum at Scotstoun leisure centre were built on the site of two indoor tennis courts.
Murray added: “You will never have a shop window like that again, unfortunately, but they have both retired now, so I think it’s time for me to retire too.
“I feel like I have done my bit, so it’s over to another generation to try and build on that. For sure, we missed the boat”
Tennis Scotland disagreed with Murray, arguing that the sport is in a better place than ever before.
“By any measure, tennis is thriving in Scotland,” a spokesperson for Tennis Scotland said.
“We have record club membership and participation, and we have opened three indoor centres and revamped 166 public courts over the past three years, with more exciting facilities projects in the pipeline.
“Our schools programme is aiming to put a racket in the hand of every child for free, while on court, we’re seeing more players competing than ever before, and celebrated 11 Scots winning pro titles in 2025.
“We will continue to work with a range of partners to ensure our sport continues this remarkable growth.”
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