Serving up a tennis boom.
Thousands of youngsters are picking up a tennis racket to dream of emulating the Wimbledon heroics of Andy Murray.
Tennis bosses have revealed the number of people playing the sport across Scotland is now at an all-time high with 51,550 players registered to take part in 2014.
This is a huge bounce from 2009 when just over 30,000 people took part. The upturn follows a drive by Andy’s mum, Judy, to encourage more children into tennis.
It comes in the wake of criticism from Andy’s brother Jamie, who is also a tennis pro and a doubles specialist, that there hasn’t been enough investment in the sport at grassroots level following Andy’s 2013 men’s singles title success.
Craig Barr, 26, a full-time coach at Broughty Ferry Tennis Club, Dundee, has seen the number of players, particularly youngsters, soar since Andy Murray rose to fame.
He now runs junior sessions for four hours every day after school and believes it will only get more popular.
He said: “I think it will keep going up like this steadily, I cannot see it going down. If we can get kids in school playing, it encourages them to keep going.”
Tennis Scotland figures have revealed there were 33,646 people registered to play on its affiliated courts in 2009.
But by 2013 it had soared 46% to 49,260, and bosses have revealed the surge in interest has continued this year, with 51,550 players, playing in 2014.
Tennis fan Lorna Donald, 34, joined Giffnock Tennis Club in East Renfrewshire with son Marcus, six, after he was inspired by minted Murray’s success.
“It’s a fun sport that builds strength and confidence,” she said.
Pint-sized tennis champ Adam McArthur echoed those views.
The talented nine-year-old, who is currently at the top of the Scottish Regional 10-and-unders winter season leaderboard, said: “I love tennis and want to be as good as I can at it.”
Adam’s coach at Newlands lawn tennis club in Glasgow, Michael Welsh, said: “For his age, Adam is exceptionally talented. He’s sitting at the top for his age group right now.
“It’s difficult to say if he’ll be the next Andy Murray but, if he keeps working, you never know.”
A Tennis Scotland spokesman said more than £3.5 million had been invested in tennis projects in recent years.
He added: “This has afforded thousands of people the opportunity to play tennis at a local level for the first time.”
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