Judy Murray sets out road map for Scottish tennis as application hangs in balance

As if watching her two sons attempt this weekend to further augment a list of family achievements which to date includes six major titles, two Olympic golds, a silver, and one Davis Cup victory, wasn't enough, Murray is enthusiastically promoting her Tennis on the Road scheme, whereby she trains a new workforce to reach out to grassroots tennis players and hopefully keep them involved in the sport.

Read more: Tennis for Kids success shows why Judy Murray’s sportshub is so vital

But even that isn't the real reason why the 57-year-old - whose ex-husband Willie's father Gordon passed away last week - is in the news right now. An eight-day public inquiry into her proposed £70 million tennis and golf academy at Park of Keir, near Dunblane, wound up earlier this week, with a final answer due on the scheme - which would also include a community football pitch, cycle path, 'Murray' museum and 19 luxury homes - due from Scottish ministers in a matter of months.

Read more: Murray and Del Potro set for tasty lunchtime match-up as big guns are deployed early

Murray is wary of going into specifics but has her fingers crossed that the scheme will get the green light. With the project already four years in the making, without a single brick being laid, she wearily notes that the obstacles to such proposals seem far greater in Scotland than they would be elsewhere.

"In the USA, they would be all over us," said Murray. "We would have a chain of them! They would be biting your hand off to do it. But we are in grave danger of Jamie and Andy being a flash in the pan and having nothing to show for it."

People who try to make things happen are seldom universally popular and Murray is perhaps the case in point. She has been called everything from vain and greedy for wanting to pursue this project, particularly in her own backyard, but Park of Keir is hardly anybody's idea of a get-rich-quick scheme.

"People say to me 'why don't you put it somewhere else?' she said. "But there are indoor courts in Glasgow and Edinburgh and I want to put something back into OUR community. I want something which is a legacy which says 'Andy and Jamie Murray came from those little tennis courts there and actually you can share that'. There will be a simulator like you are playing a point against Andy at Wimbledon or a point against Jamie at the US Open.

"I want something that is an experience, an inspiration, all of these things," she added. "I just have to keep my fingers crossed. But it really would be incredibly sad if we had nothing to show for what they have achieved, and all the excitement they have given to Scotland."

Until such time as the final results are known, Ms Murray will simply continue jumping in her Peugeot van with her partner-in-crime Kris Soutar, taking tennis on the road throughout the country. Yesterday she has enlisted her oldest son Jamie in as a guinea pig. "The aim when we started out was to take tennis into places where you wouldn't normally find it," she said. "We have funding to cover us about 50 days a year and we are into our third year and we have covered over 4,000 people, using about 4,500 kids and teenagers. Either Tennis Scotland or the Active Schools co-ordinator in the area gives us the work force. We don't mind who it is, as long as they are enthusiastic."

Read more: Tennis for Kids success shows why Judy Murray’s sportshub is so vital

Generating some enthusiasm, and some knowhow, from your nearest and dearest would also help. The next session up, for instance, will pass on some crucial hints and tips to parents. "Kids will get started, but it is a difficult sport," said Murray. "You can easily get fed up if you are just chasing the ball around but you can't hit it back. If the parent can understand how they can actually help them then it is just another thing that is not exposed enough, the importance of getting the parents involved."

Planting a seed in potential coaches and players of the future is one thing, but too often the problem in Scotland is a lack of nearby courts for that early flash of interest to translate into something more lasting. While Murray laments the fact that the only new indoor courts which to come on stream since her children came to prominence are at the illustrious Gleneagles Hotel, Glasgow is actually better served than most of Scotland when it comes to indoor courts. There are council-run facilities in leisure centres in the Gorbals and Scotstoun, but next on the list is an attempt to make inroads into the East End, either in Easterhouse or Garrowhill Park.

"We have been building a work force of people to deliver tennis, which you can do in small spaces, but if the kids enjoy it there isn't anywhere where they can transfer that to - yet. I always think 'you are putting a Davis Cup semi-final here, so why not put some money in too?' I don't understand why everyone else doesn't fight it."

**To learn more about Tennis on the Road or if you are interested in getting the FREE roadshow to your local community, please go to www.tennisontheroad.com. More information can also be found on Twitter by following @TennisOnTheRoad.