Judy Murray

Life and career

Murray was born in Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, the daughter of Roy Erskine, an optician and former footballer who had played for Stirling Albion in the 1950s, and his wife, Eileen Shirley (née Edney). She says that growing up, there were no indoor courts in Scotland, so she played tennis in the summer and badminton in the winter. She won 64 titles in Scotland during her junior and senior career, and decided to have a go at the professional tour in around 1976. Murray gave up the idea of competing professionally as she was homesick and was robbed in Barcelona. However, she had played against players such as Debbie Jevans and Mariana Simionescu. Murray claims that her playing style did not have any big shots but she was quick around the court and read the game well. She thus decided to go to Edinburgh University to study French and German, before dropping German in favour of business studies. In 1981, she graduated from Edinburgh University, and represented Great Britain at the World Student Games. She began coaching and was the initial coach for both her sons before handing over the reins as their professional careers bloomed.

Aside from her own sons, she has coached multiple players at regional and national level under the auspices of the British tennis governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). In December 2011 she was elected to lead the British Fed Cup team as their captain. She says she took the job in part to raise the profile of female coaches and alleviate some of the sexism that she says remains in the sport. She resigned as Great Britain's Fed Cup Captain in March 2016.

Murray was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to tennis, women in sport, and charity.

Honorary Doctorates

Murray was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Edinburgh on 8 October 2013. On 24 November 2016 she received a second Honorary Doctrate from the University of Aberdeen. A third Honorary Doctorates degree was awarded to her by the University of Glasgow that same year. She now holds three Honorary Doctorates from some of the most prestigious universities in Scotland.

Park of Keir

Judy has been trying to build indoor and outdoor tennis courts; a six-hole golf course; a 4/5-star hotel; a country park; indoor leisure activities; a tennis museum and 19 resort homes on green belt land. Her development was rejected by Stirling Council in December 2015.

Strictly Come Dancing

On 7 September 2014 Judy was introduced as a competitor in the twelfth series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, paired with professional dancer Anton du Beke. Only in week eight, however, after dancing a Viennese Waltz to "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Mary Poppins, were they in the bottom two. They were eliminated by a unanimous vote from the judges. This took place in Blackpool. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Michael Hogan tagged his review of the show "Ballroom justice at last as the popular but wooden Mrs Murray leaves Strictly", describing the last dance: "It was Murray’s best yet – not saying much, maybe – scoring her first (and only) sevens. She was even more delighted by her four from Craig Revel Horwood."

³ Score from guest judge Donny Osmond.