Key to Wimbledon success? Avoid parties, says Judy Murray
Coach highlights the risk of female players having their heads turned by social events in the lead up to Wimbledon
JUDY MURRAY has warned Britain’s young female tennis stars to ignore the distractions of the party circuit and concentrate on their training regimes in the run-up to Wimbledon.
With the centrepiece of the nation’s tennis calendar less than three weeks away, Murray told Britain’s female hopefuls to focus on “keeping your head down and being prepared to say ‘no’ to things”, if they are to emulate her sons’ Wimbledon victories.
Appearing alongside Clare Balding at the Sport Industry Breakfast Club, Murray said that Johanna Konta, the Australian-born British number one, and Heather Watson, who reached the third round of last year’s Wimbledon, would face “the toughest time of the year” in the coming weeks, due to the pressure of competing on home soil. She said: “There are a lot of distractions around the grass season for the British players, because there is so much scrutiny on them; there is so much media focus; there is so much interest in them; there are a lot of invitations that will come in to things. I think it is about sticking to your routine, keeping your head down and being prepared to say, ‘no’ to things, in order to not get distracted. This is the toughest time of the year for British players, simply because everything is on our patch.” Konta, who has been a British citizen since 2012, became the world number 18 earlier this week. She is the first British woman to break into the top 20 for 23 years. Earlier this week, the 25-year- old – who reached the semi-final of the Australian Open in January – posted online a series of photos of her partying at the Glamour magazine awards. Murray said she was capable of climbing into the top 10 in the rankings, but had to focus.
She said: “If she plays as well as she can play – and obviously doesn’t pick up any injuries – but believes in herself and keeps calm around Wimbledon time, there’s no reason why she can’t go a long way.”
Justin Sherring, Konta’s former coach, said the player was unlikely to be side-tracked.
“I saw her not so long ago and she is in a really, really good place,” he said. “She has a fantastic ability to focus. She is single-mindedly preparing, like Judy says.”
Murray said that Watson, the world number 56, had failed to fulfil her potential and needed to “keep her head down”. She said: “I always feel that Heather should be further on than she is. I think she has enough game and is a good enough athlete to comfortably sit around 30 in the world. She will have an occasional very good week, but she never backs it up. For her, it is the consistency of approach, which leads to consistency of performance. She needs that day-in, day-out attitude that Konta has.”
Both women will be aware of the fate of fellow Briton, Naomi Broady, who was stripped of her Lawn Tennis Association funding in 2007 after posting a photo of herself in a nightclub toilet, draped around a condom machine.
Broady, who is now ranked number 81 in the world, claims to have been “thrown to the lions” by the sport’s governing body.
‘I think it is about sticking to your routine, keeping your head down and being prepared to say No to things’