Saturday 10 January 2015 17:35, UK
British Fed Cup team captain Judy Murray is behind a new coaching initiative to increase levels of participation in women’s tennis.
The Scot launched a new programme called 'Miss-Hits' earlier this year, which will act as a feeder programme into LTA Mini Tennis.
Murray recently set out a 10-year plan for her Fed Cup team and believes the game must attract more female players in order to achieve her targets.
“Last year I launched a new tennis initiative called ‘Miss-Hits’, which is a programme to get more young girls playing tennis," Murray told Sky Sports News HQ.
“So I’m going to throw myself at that because if we want to become a strong women’s tennis nation and have ambition to win the Fed Cup in 10 years’ time and beyond, we absolutely have to increase the number of girls playing tennis.”
The 55-year-old coach was elected as the British Fed Cup team captain in December 2011, and says she took the job in part to raise the profile of female coaches.
Great Britain have never won the Fed Cup, which serves as a premier international team competition in women’s tennis, launched in 1963.
The Scot, whose team is currently ranked 20th in the ITF Fed Cup nations rankings, insists the game must become more appealing in order to continue its growth.
“I want to get more women coaching tennis,” she said. "And in order for that to happen we have to make tennis more attractive.”
