Judy Murray's five-year tenure as Great Britain's Fed Cup captain has come to an end.
She is stepping down from her post to spend more time with her family and focus on grass-roots tennis. Judy Murray became a grandmother for the first time when daughter-in-law Kim and son Andy Murray welcomed their first child to the world, daughter Sophia, last month.
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Frustration over the Fed Cup format also contributed to her decision.
“I'm stepping down as Aegon GB Fed Cup captain to spend more time with my family and to focus on my grass roots programs, ‘Tennis on the Road’ and ‘Miss-Hits’," Judy Murray said in a statement issued by the LTA. "I've loved the challenge of leading the team over the past five years, raising the profile of the event, our players and women's tennis in this country. It's a big regret for me that we didn't make it to the World Group, but what we have now is a pool of players capable of competing at that level. We just need them all to be available and fit to play at the same time."
Judy Murray had become frustrated by a Fed Cup format some view as antiquated. Watching her sons building the buzz for British tennis by leading the nation to its first Davis Cup championship in 79 years last fall, reinforced Judy Murray's belief that home ties are essential to engaging fans and building a Fed Cup following.
"The Fed Cup format is in desperate need of a revamp," she said. "Team competition engages players and fans much more than individual events. It's crucial we use this global competition as a means of attracting and retaining girls in competitive tennis at every level. That requires more countries to have the opportunity of playing home and away ties so we can showcase our sport.
"The GB team has been stuck in the 16-team Euro-Africa Zone for an eternity. We play four countries in four successive days in February and only two teams qualify for a playoff opportunity to progress to the World Group. If you don't make the play off, there's nothing until the following February making it impossible to build any momentum on or off the court. The Fed Cup should be leading the way in promoting and showcasing competitive women's team tennis at all levels and in all countries. Things have got to change. Everyone can see the buzz created around the home ties and team tennis at all stages of the Davis Cup. Fed Cup should be afforded a similar format.”
LTAChief Executive, Michael Downey thanked Murray for her service and said the Tennis Association will launch an open search for a new captain.
“British Tennis and our team have been fortunate in having a captain possessing Judy’s unique tennis knowledge, passion for the game, and sense of fun steering our Fed Cup team for the last five years," Downey said. "No doubt she has left an indelible mark on all the players she has worked with on the team, the support staff and inspiring other GB female coaches along that journey.
"On behalf of British Tennis, I would also like to personally thank Judy for her commitment. In terms of next steps, we will begin an open recruitment process shortly and aim to announce a successor well before the end of the year and 2017’s February Fed Cup tie.”
Photo credit: British Tennis