LTA to double female coach numbers

The Lawn Tennis Association says it wants to double the number of female tennis coaches in Britain to 1,600 in the next five years.

The LTA, the governing body in Britain, outlined plans at its Women’s Coach Conference in Birmingham.

“I believe that girls respond better to female role models,” Judy Murray, Brit- ain’s former Fed Cup captain, said. “The LTA want to see more female coaches who can encourage girls to take up, and stay in, sport.”

The LTA says the aim of the conference is to “promote opportunities for women and girls to get into coaching, create networking practices and inspire more women and girls to take on the coaching qualifications pathway”.

Speakers included Murray, former British number two Jo Ward, 2012 Olympic rowing champion and chair of UK Sport Dame Katherine Grainger, and BBC Sport’s Gabby Logan.

l Grigor Dimitrov hopes familiarity can breed success in Barcelona.

The Bulgarian, who spent time training in Spain as a junior and received his first qualifying wildcard into an ATP World Tour event in Barcelona 12 years ago as a 16-year-old, is competing in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell for the first time since 2013.

Dimitrov got his claycourt season off to a strong start at the Rolex MonteCarlo Masters, where he advanced to the semi-finals for the first time before losing against Rafael Nadal.

On Barcelona, Dimitrov said: “It’s pretty much coming back to the same courts where I used to practise.”

Judy Murray: “LTA want to see more female coaches”