ANDY Murray accompanied the Davis Cup trophy back to his old stomping ground of Stirling yesterday and said he hoped Britain's historic 2015 win would inspire the next generation to follow in his footsteps. While this weekend's semi-final defeat to Argentina at the Emirates Arena put an end to home hopes of retaining the title, the Scot took the trophy to Wallace High School in the city then participated in a session at the University of Stirling indoor tennis centre where he spent many hours as a teenager whilst learning the sport.
“I am proud to be back in Scotland with the Davis Cup and for the opportunity to share with the community what was an incredible moment personally and also for all involved," said the World No 2, who will host his own 'Andy Murray Live' charity exhibition event at the SSE Hydro tonight. "Stirling in particular played a huge part in me and my brother’s tennis careers as the indoor facilities are where we played during the harsh Scottish winters, and countless rainy days.
“Being a part of something that will hopefully encourage others to get involved and choose tennis as part of their everyday lives is an amazing feeling and it’s important to ensure a lasting legacy follows the team’s historic achievements," he added."I am immensely proud to be part of this incredible team and although the semi-final wasn’t the result we wanted, hopefully we will still have inspired the next generation of tennis stars”.
On one of the last legs of the Davis Cup Trophy Tour - the draw for the 2017 event will be made tomorrow in London - Andy was accompanied on the day by mother Judy Murray, as part of her work for Tennis on the Road, a movement to increase coaching capacity in Scotland and across the UK and grow the game at a grassroots level. The Trophy has travelled more than 13,500 miles and met over 63,000 people during its UK-wide tour this year, which has included every county and major British tennis tournament. "It’s fantastic for Andy to be able to bring the Davis Cup trophy back to Scotland and share the victory with the community,” she said. “There’s a huge opportunity right now to grow tennis throughout the UK and we believe it’s all about investing in people to make this a reality."
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