By Tom Sunderland
Judy Murray had her share of financial challenges while raising the man who would go on to become a three-time Grand Slam champion. At 65, Judy shepherded Andy and his brother Jamie through their formative years in tennis , enduring financial strains along the way. Although retired since last year , Sir Andy Murray is taking a break from the sport that made him a household name. But success in tennis was far from being guaranteed. With Andy’s net worth now around £110million , it appears Judy’s thrifty habits have left a mark on him as well. But it all began with Judy’s mother and the morals she instilled in her daughter. “When I was young, [my mother] would go into an absolute tailspin if she had a bill with a final demand on it, or if she’d forgotten to pay something,” Judy told iNews . “She was always panicking about money, and that rubbed off on me. “And so I’ve never had a credit card. I hate owing people money, and I have to be really persuaded to invest in anything. I don’t have any investments, stocks and shares, or anything like that.” Before Andy’s birth, former tennis prospect Judy swapped life in Glasgow for Dunblane. This included transitioning from her role as a confectionary company sales rep to focus on nurturing young talents, including sons Andy and Jamie, in coaching. Choosing to forego financial security for her sons’ potential was a bold move. It wasn’t until Andy, who later became a two-time Wimbledon champion, hit his teenage years that the extent of their financial challenges emerged, reports the Daily Express . “The toughest time financially was when we needed to send Andy to Barcelona for his training,” she added. “It was 2002, and he was about 15. He was one of the best in Europe at that point. He needed to leave the country because he needed a tougher training environment with a different variety of sparring partners. “It was like going to an expensive boarding school that specialised in tennis. The problem was that we were going to need £30,000-35,000 a year. That was more than my entire salary.” Launching her new book ‘Game, Set & Murder’, Murray Sr, who loves when people notice how smiley she is , reflected on those challenging times and one “incredibly financially stressful” period. Through a £10,000 sponsorship and an inheritance from Judy’s great-uncle, Andy could embark on his pivotal training in Spain. Andy’s tennis career might have taken a different trajectory were it not for that time spent abroad. But Judy was no stranger to making ends meet with limited resources. “My pension was a big learning curve in my relationship with money,” she revealed. “For most of my life, I didn’t have money. Even as a top-level national coach in 1995, I earned £25,000. “It was a very small salary job. I have been self-employed for most of my life and didn’t start making pension contributions until much later. I didn’t think about it.” Fortunately, her son’s triumphs on the tennis court have ensured she doesn’t have to fret over finances any longer. But the family have maintained the same philosophies that took them to the top in the first place.