Judy Murray ready for another endurance test with round two at Wimbledon

Chief Sports Writer

Sunday 22 July 2012

IT would have been no surprise if Judy Murray had spent the interlude between Wimbledon and the Olympics with a stay in a health spa.

Judy Murray has high hopes

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By Hugh MacDonald

The draining emotion of watching her son Andy reach the final in SW19 was exacerbated by the tennis coach hurtling around the courts of the All England Club assessing and supporting members of her Fed Cup team.

The Olympics at Wimbledon for Judy Murray will be the same. Only busier. She recharged her batteries by heading home to Dunblane and immersing herself in coaching young players and articulating her determination to make sure her homeland capitalises on the window of opportunity that her son has opened for the sport in Scotland.In an exclusive chat with the Sunday Herald, she also looked forward to the Olympics, pointing out both the problems and the chance of glory they present.She has a direct link to each member of Team GB. Her sons, Andy and Jamie, team up for the doubles with the world No 4 determined also to make a sustained tilt at the singles. The other men's double pair comprise Ross Hutchins, one of her son's best friends, and Colin Fleming, whom she coached as a child and who has been a friend of the family for two decades.And the ladies? They are all, of course, members of the Fed Cup team that Murray captains and one senses she has built up close relationships with each of them. The emotional scenes when Murray informed Elena Baltacha of her selection for the Olympics courtside at Wimbledon was a sure sign of the bonds that have been formed over the years between the women.Murray knows the Olympics pose specific problems. "Firstly, in the men's singles it is the best of three sets so it is basically a shoot-out and on grass that will heavily favour the big servers such as John Isner," she said. "Secondly, the top players carefully prepare for the top events so they arrive in peak form. This time of the season is normally a relaxation time for them before embarking on a training block for the American hard court season culminating in the US Open. Instead, they are stepping into unknown territory."There is, therefore, the capacity for upsets but Andy Murray is already practising for both singles and his doubles with his brother, with whom he has won an ATP doubles title. Hopes are high for both the Murrays and Fleming and Hutchins, a classy pair who should put an early Wimbledon disappointment behind them.Judy Murray, too, is eager to watch her Fed Cup charges compete at this elite level. She knows Baltacha and Anne Keothavong will battle in both the singles and in the doubles but is intrigued to gauge the growing improvement in Laura Robson and Heather Watson in the doubles.This pair represent the future of British tennis in women's competitions and Murray is excited about their prospects. Robson, 18, reached the semi-finals of a WTA tournament in Palermo after her Wimbledon exertions and Murray said: "She has a real heaviness of shot that will serve her well. She is also growing up and her endurance will improve."Watson, too, has made a favourable impression, particularly with her resilience. "All the top players are great talents but I love the way Heather sticks to it," she said.Judy Murray's endurance is about to be tested at SW19 for the second time this summer. The reward, though, may be con-siderable and garlanded with precious metal.

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Judy Murray ready for another endurance test with round two at Wimbledon

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