Judy Murray, the mother of world number four Andy Murray, has urged young girls in Cornwall to continue playing tennis after attending the Flybe Girls Tennis Roadshow at the Heron Tennis Centre in Newquay this week.
Judy attended the roadshow as part of her role with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which sees her combining the captaincy of the AEGON GB Fed Cup Team with a separate focus on helping to mentor and develop female tennis coaches around the country.
The event was attended by 131 girls and women of all ages and abilities, and was a celebration of female tennis.
And Judy Murray said: “All in all it was a fantastic day and great to see so many girls turning out to play.
“There was a real mix of standards, a lot of kids who had played before, a lot of kids who just play at clubs, some who are very good competitively and many who haven't really played at all.
“We need to find ways to attract girls into tennis, and once we've attracted them in we need to find ways to keep them in, and so much of that is down to the environments that we create for them to play in and train in.
“We know we have to work hard to keep girls in the game, we're outnumbered by the boys, but we're doing our best to readdress that balance."
Georgina Loosemore, LTA Tennis Development Manager for Devon and Cornwall, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the response from the Devon & Cornwall females of all ages in supporting this festival of tennis.”
Flybe have supported Cornwall and Devon LTA for the last four years, a partnership which has enabled many more people across the county to play tennis. Flybe Girls is a new initiative with the aim to get more females on court.
Simon Lilley, Director of Marketing at Flybe, said: “Flybe is delighted to be working with the Devon & Cornwall LTA on such an exciting scheme and for Judy Murray to attend the roadshow is the icing on the cake.
“We are determined to get more young female players interested in tennis throughout the South West.”