Mother knows best how to nurture rising Scottish talent

Shortly after Andrew Murray beat the 14th seed, Radek Stepanek, to become confirmed as the great new hope of British tennis, he wheeled around to salute his mother and mentor, Judy, as she wiped away a tear.

Whether or not Murray goes one further today against David Nalbandian, his mother, once an accomplished professional turned Scotland coach, has already seen the benefits of nurturing her sons not long after they were able to walk.

Wherever Murray goes in SW19, his mother is not far away. She cooks his breakfast at the family's temporary home in Wimbledon village, tidies up after him - at one point misplacing his player's pass - and attends every match and practice session.

According to friends, she has struck the right balance of pastoral care without the intensity that strains relationships between parents pushing their offspring too hard towards success.

Sue Mappin, the former Whiteman Cup captain, said: "I was amazed at how he coped with the pressure in the second round [against Stepanek]. He is a fairly relaxed person and I can only think that the fact that Judy is also down-to-earth has rubbed off on him."

Ellinore Lightbody, who succeeded Judy as Scottish national coach, said: "She's got an immense knowledge of the game. She is very in tune with what a young player needs and she knows when to push them and when to leave alone."

Before she married, Judy Erskine was a wily player who, from her base at the Dunblane Tennis Club, represented Scotland in all age groups and at her peak became the Scottish No 1. After studying business and French at Edinburgh University, she embarked on a career in coaching, focusing her efforts on her two young boys.

She took the two boys to local competitions, and insisted on regular practice, always aware of not becoming a pushy tennis mum.Scotland may not possess the ideal climate for tennis, but it is thanks in great measure to Judy that it is currently punching above its weight as a factory for young British talent. Apart from Andrew and Jamie - who is one year older than his brother and a doubles expert - these include Colin Fleming, Jamie Baker, the British Under-18 champion, and Graham Hood, who holds the Under-15 title, and Elena Baltacha, ranked 120 in the world.

But last year, Judy resigned as national coach, citing "frustration" at the £30,000 funding for Tennis Scotland - the cost of sending a single player abroad for one year's coaching.

She also took the difficult decision to send Andrew to a tennis school in Barcelona to maximise his chances of turning youthful talent into senior titles.

"She was very aware of what happened to any number of talented British boys the like of which have won the Australian juniors and never been heard of again" said Mappin.

"There have been lots of those and Judy thought that by sending him to Barcelona would have provided him with the best chance. It was the best move he made."