She is a mother who knows about the intensely hard work that goes into raising sporting superstars.
But Judy Murray has revealed she probably wouldn’t have encouraged them into elite tennis if she knew then what she knows now.
The 67-year-old, who was paired with Anton Du Beke when she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, made the comments as she chaired a discussion on the future of women’s and girls’ sport at St George’s School in Edinburgh.
Ms Murray, as the panel was discussing how important parents were to encouraging their youngsters into sport, joked about her sons Andy and Jamie: ‘I know all about the parent thing and I’m not doing it with my grandchildren let’s just say that.
‘I was telling someone the other day if I had known then what I know now, I probably wouldn’t have done it.
‘But there you go, you can’t really get anywhere without your parents. I think especially if your kids go into individual sport the onus is very much on the parents to make it all happen, and to pay for it, and to hang around.
‘If your child is good at a team sport, the club usually can take care of the fixture list and the training and the kit and so forth. You still have to a bit of the driving back and forth, the watching of course, but it’s quite a different thing and it’s quite a different thing in terms of expenses as well.’
Judy Murray sounded the alarm bells about the decline of sports in state schools
Ms Murray also suggested she may not have encouraged her sons Andy and Jamie into elite sport had she known what she knows now
Ms Murray was speaking at a Fearless Women in Sport event
Ms Murray was joined on stage by Olympic medallist Eilidh Doyle and others for the Fearless Women in Sport event, which was being held as part of this year’s Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week.
The tennis coach also sounded the alarm bells about the decline of sports in state schools, and warned that with the rise of technology children are living more sedentary lives.
She said: ‘My kids tried everything except skiing and still now they will sometimes cast that up to me that they never got to try skiing. There wasn’t any mountains in Dunblane.’
Ms Murray said her tennis ace sons chose that as their main focus in their teens after trying a range of sports in their younger years.
But Ms Murray said: ‘I think one of the things that concerns me now is the state of state schools sport, how poor that is now, and also the advent of screens meaning that many more children are leading more sedentary lifestyles.
Earlier this year the Scottish Government announced a £20million Summer of Sport initiative, which coincided with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Scotland going through to the World Cup.
But after the panel, which saw pupils from state and independent schools across Scotland listen and ask their own questions, she said: ‘I’ve seen over the last 20 years or so that sport in state schools has just gone backwards and backwards and backwards, and it does make me wonder where’s the next generation of Scottish Olympians, Commonwealth Games athletes, where are they coming from?
‘Because so often these are kids who have been spotted by teachers in schools and signposted to local athletics clubs or the rugby club or whatever it is.
‘You know when I looked at £20m going into the Summer of Sport, which was a kind of one and done thing over the summer, and I thought you know that £20m could have gone into something like providing a PE specialist into every primary school to ensure that our kids become physically literate.’
Sport Minister Maree Todd said: ‘The additional £40 million for sport in the 2026-27 Scottish Budget included £20 million to strengthen clubs, coaches, volunteers and pathways across Scotland, helping to create more opportunities for people to be active throughout their lives, both in and beyond school.
‘Alongside this, the £20 million nationwide Summer of Sport programme which will run into next year, has already delivered thousands of opportunities for more children and young people to get active.’
She added: ‘It has demonstrated the impact targeted funding can achieve and, crucially, has also helped connect participants to local clubs and programmes, creating pathways into sustained participation.
‘It was developed by sportscotland, in partnership with the sport sector, to encourage children and young people to be inspired by the landmark summer of international sport to get active, stay active, and enjoy the benefits of physical activity.’
