Judy Murray lauds her son Andy Murray as an ally for women’s tennis, cites the example of his pathbreaking coaching stint with Amelie Mauresmo

Judy Murray is proud of her son Andy Murray for his unwavering support to female tennis players.

Judy Murray lauds her son Andy Murray as an ally for women’s tennis, cites the example of his pathbreaking coaching stint with Amelie Mauresmo

Judy Murray and Andy Murray (Credits: Sky News)

In a recent interview with Eurosport regarding the completion of 50 years of the Women’s Tennis Association, Judy Murray praised her son Andy Murray for always taking a stand for women’s issues in tennis and for becoming a strong ally for women players. She believes that it’s important for a sport like tennis to have a strong male ally voicing concerns that female tennis players face.

Judy Murray is a professional tennis coach and a WTA ambassador. She spoke about Andy’s interest in women’s tennis and how he constantly watches a lot of women’s tennis, keeping up with all the updates. She believes it helps him to further develop a deeper understanding of the issues that women tennis players face.

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“I think it’s really important for tennis to have a male ally in someone like Andy, who has been at the top of the game, won the biggest prizes in tennis, and speaking on behalf of women,” Judy stated.  

“He is a huge student of the game in general, but he’s also a student of the women’s side of the game. So if you ask him a question about any of the top female players, he’ll give you a rundown on what they’ve won, what they’ve not won, how they play, etcetera etcetera. Because he watches a lot of women’s tennis on TV,” revealed Judy.

She shared Murray’s consistent effort to raise issues that need to be addressed but have been ignored. She believes it all started when Andy Murray hired former world number 1 Amelie Mauresmo as his coach and started to train with her. As per Judy, it is a big thing when a male player, that to someone considered to be a part of the ‘Big 4’, ignores gender and hires someone who has the required skill set and expertise.

“He was in the top four of the game and it was a big thing to many people for him to take on a female coach but for him it was nothing to do with gender, it was all about personality fit, her skillset, her track record, and the fact that she listened,” said Judy.

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Andy Murray’s commitment to challenging inequality and breaking barriers

Andy Murray and Amelie Mauresmo
Andy Murray and Amelie Mauresmo (Credits: Eurosport)

Andy Murray has consistently used his platform to address issues women athletes face, including sexism, the gender pay gap, and other forms of inequality. His hiring of former World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as his coach in 2014 was a significant milestone. It brought attention to how female coaches are treated compared to their male counterparts. Andy expressed his disappointment regarding the scrutiny faced by Amelie, pointing out that it exceeded the criticism received by his previous male coaches.

Writing a column for L’Equipe in 2015, Murray openly admits being a feminist. He answered that if fighting for women’s rights makes him a feminist, then he indeed is one.

“Have I become a feminist? Well, if being a feminist is about fighting so that a woman is treated like a man then yes, I suppose I have,” he wrote.

At a time when fighting for women’s causes has become controversial, and men who help in the fight are looked down upon, a great player like Andy Murray’s firm stand and calling out against sexism in press conferences and interviews creates a great impact on people who otherwise might not be willing to listen. It forces people to acknowledge the disparity that exists between men and women in sports and drives them to make a change.

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