Judy Murray hails new plan to refurbish derelict tennis courts
Judy Murray is backing Scottish tennis by offering to help secure funding for local courts which are in poor condition as a new £22 million makeover scheme is launched by the UK Government.
The tennis coach, and mother of popular tennis stars Andy and Jamie Murray, shared her delight at the funding on Saturday, saying that it was “great news for tennis”.
Ms Murray returned to Twitter yesterday morning making a plea for Scotland not to miss the opportunity to refurbish its tired tennis courts.
She has already received dozens of responses after asking for people to share the names of their local parks so she can “pass them on” for consideration.
She wrote: “Dear Scotland, let’s not miss out on this amazing opportunity to get makeovers for some of our derelict or unplayable park tennis courts.
"If u have any near you, can you reply here with name of
park and town. Post a pic if that’s feasible but not vital. I’ll pass them all on.”
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) welcomed the £22 million government investment, saying that park tennis court facilities are vital community assets that can improve mental and physical health. The LTA has invested £8.5 million into the funding which will see thousands of public park tennis courts in poor condition “brought back to life for the benefit of their local community”. It reported that around 45 per cent of park courts in Scotland, Wales and England are categorised as being in poor, very poor or unplayable condition, with over half being located in socially deprived areas of the country.
In addition to refurbishing the courts, the investment will also pay for the implementation of sustainable operating models, with specialist programmes and support available to ensure that the courts are “affordable and utilised”.
The funding comes after recent success at the US Open for British players, including Emma Raducanu, Joe Salisbury and Alfie Hewett.
The LTA said that these wins present a unique opportunity to capitalise on the public interest in tennis and “build on the legacy of the Murray family and others over recent years.”