So great to my Andy out there as I know how much he missed it
No matter what your kids are doing, you want it all to go right for them He plays with instinct and you do not lose that after a lay-off
JUDY MUrraY calls it ‘the righting reflex’. It’s the natural parental desire to see their children stay safe, happy and, if possible, successful whenever they venture out on their own.
For Scotland’s most famous sporting mum, a coach — and coach of coaches — who had hundreds hanging on her every word at a major conference in Edinburgh yesterday, this instinct is not diminished by the fact her two boys have won more honours than some small nations might muster in a century of striving.
as she sat in the stands at Queen’s Club last week, then, the former Fed Cup captain experienced more than a mild flutter of concern.
‘It was different,’ said Murray, explaining how she felt watching youngest son andy make his return to competitive tennis after almost a year out injured.
‘In some ways I was relaxed because there were no expectations. But I was also nervous in case his body didn’t hold up, especially on a new court when you can slip.
‘So it was a strange one. There were a lot of different things at work. It’s called the “righting reflex” and it’s a parental thing.
‘No matter what your kids are doing, you want it all to go right for them.
‘and you know that, in all sorts of situations, you can’t help them.
‘Like when he goes out on the court. You can’t help at all, other than clap and give it one of them!
‘I was so glad he had a good experience. and it was great to see him out there because I know how much he missed it.
‘I was really blown away by how well he played. When you are just a born competitor like that, you don’t lose that.
‘and he plays with instinct. You don’t lose that after a lay-off.
‘But, after 11 months, everyone was surprised by how well he did.
‘at the moment, it’s about building match fitness and you can only do that by playing matches.
‘So it’s really about dipping the toe in the water and seeing how he reacts.
‘He did really amazing at Queen’s and he was great on Tuesday, as well. It’s all matches in the bank, which is what he needs just now.’
andy’s return to court means his mum can at least put away the T-shirt intended to wrong-foot fans asking for fitness updates, although she laughed as she admitted: ‘I was going to get another one with “He’s fine” on the front and “I hope so…” on the back.’
Not that she minds being asked about andy or big brother Jamie. after all, they were the reason she started coaching in the first place.
Just before lunch yesterday, she was delivering the keynote speech at the inaugural UK Coaching Conference, having already attracted a bumper crowd of sports professionals and volunteers eager to see her put on a session for some children.
From using cereal boxes as a net and biscuit tin lids as bats in an impromptu game of ‘kitchen table tennis’, Murray’s methods have evolved somewhat over the years.
But the key tenets of her philosophy remain the same. Spend some time with the kids. Keep them interested. above all, keep it fun.
‘The kitchen table tennis was an example of inventing games for my kids to do when the weather was rubbish,’ she explained.
‘Something like that, you just think: “What can we use now?” Even if it’s throwing things in pots. I’ve seen the film of rory McIlroy chipping balls into the washing machine while his mum is making tea.
‘I saw that and thought: “That’s exactly the sort of thing I used to do”. and it wasn’t for any other reason than to keep them active.
‘The boys had PlayStation and Nintendo when they were coming through. But the internet wasn’t a thing and even DVDs weren’t so much of a thing.
‘Because we were a sporty family and my parents were sporty, they were always out and active. ‘That’s why I’m so into this parent-and-child stuff we do. Because kids love playing with their parents — and parents love playing with their kids, if they do it.
‘But because so many mums and dads both work now, they have more money and less time. ‘So they pay other people to do things with their kids. It’s not the same. So I’m a big believer in sport being a family thing.’
Winning converts to the cause has become easier over the past decade or so for a true sporting evangelist, with andy and Jamie’s success giving Judy an obvious in.
But it’s part of her make-up to be constantly striving for more. Not least on the still — remarkably — thorny subject of indoor courts.
Which is where the Judy Murray Foundation comes in.
‘I have done enough of these one or two-day hits where you know you can make an impact but, unless there is someone in the area who can take it on when you have left, you don’t have a long-term project,’ she explained.
‘We are going to do three-year projects in three places initially. Greenock, Inverurie and the east end of Glasgow.
‘We will commit to three years to build a work force, big events, fun competitions, drop-in sessions.
‘Then in three years we will have left it in the hands of the community.
‘The tennis world is in a different place now but we still need more indoor courts.
‘We have only got six indoor pay-and-play centres in Scotland. and that is the same we have had since 2006.
‘That is 12 years on, two Grand Slam champions, and we have still only got six. There are quite a lot of David Lloyd clubs but these are commercial properties that pre-suppose people are going to be able to play.
‘For me, I want everybody to be able to play my sport and that is what I am trying to do with the foundation.
‘Create the demand, create the workforce and influence the local authorities to put some courts in.
‘Preferably courts with some cover. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it can just be a big barn.’
Give Judy Murray the barn and you know she’ll find a way to make it work. She’d make it right. It’s a kind of reflex.
The UK Coaching Conference continues at Oriam today. For more information on #GreatCoaching, visit www. ukcoaching.org