Judy should feel pride, not guilt

The majority of parents can relate to the tension between wanting your kids to maximise their potential and placing too much pressure on them.

Today we report on how Judy Murray now believes than sending son Jamie to a boarding school in Cambridge, aged 12, was too much too soon. Ultimately, it could have derailed a very promising singles career, she says.

Judy’s account is honest and open and recalls the decision as one of the most heartbreaking of her life.

But perhaps she’s being too hard on herself. After all, Jamie is a multi-grand Slam winning player and has been ranked world number one in doubles; and younger son Andy is the current world number one in singles and arguably Scotland’s greatest ever sportsperson.

More importantly, both boys are a credit to Scotland and ultimately to their parents. Fierce competitors on court, of course. But off it they are polite, humble, caring, generous and seemingly unaffected by the attention they receive all over the world. Scotland is proud of them.

Fewer people know that Judy spends 50 days a year travelling around Scotland promoting tennis among children, all from the back of a van. She is passionate about getting children into sport, vitally important in a time of increasing obesity amongst our young people.

And now she is seeking to ensure Scotland has a legacy from Andy and Jamie’s success, a permanent base at Park of Keir where thousands more young children can sample the joys of tennis.

Whether sending Jamie south was right or not, Judy Murray has plenty to feel proud about. And her contribution to Scottish sport still has a long way to run.