Judy Murray : "A reward for perseverance"

She is surely one of the most famous mothers of the tennis world. Judy Murray, coach and former Fed Cup captain, is of course really proud to see Andy getting this World Number 1 in single after Jamie got it in double. She also calls "healthy" the rivalry between her last born and his rival Novak Djokovic. Here's a quick chat with the woman who decades ago put a racquet in Andy Murray's hands, never thinking he'd end being one of the greatest players of the game.

I guess it's an amazing feeling of achievement...
Yes, it's amazing what he's done... For the last few months he was getting closer and closer to Novak but now he's managed to do that. It's a very special achievement, and there have been very few players being n°1 in the world, and they've been very dominant like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. He's always been around here, and now he's managed to get through it. He's been very consistent the last two years. He also got married, has a baby now, is 29, is matured... It's a wonderful thing for him.

Many say that Andy being number 1 in the world is patience being rewarded and hard work pays off at the end : do you agree ?
Yeah, I think so. Definitely. I probably know more than anybody how hard he's worked over how many years, from when he just started playing. I know how much he's put into it, and I'm pretty sure there isn't anybody working any harder than he does. So yes it's a reward for perseverance ! (Smiles).

Two sons number 1 : could you imagine that back in the day ?
No ! No, never. We come from Scotland where tennis is a minority sport. We have very bad weather and very few facilities. And there is no track record of world class success in tennis. So really for them to both have achieved World Number 1 in singles and doubles against that backdrop is quite phenomenal.

You know also Novak Djokovic very well as he and Andy are playing against each other since they're kids : how do you see this rivalry ?
I first watched them play each other when they were about 12. So yeah I've watched them growing up, all the way through the juniors and then obviously on the Tour since 2005, 2006 ? It's a long time. The last few years I think has a lot been between the four of them. But obviously Djokovic and Andy being born in the same year, maybe you see that more of a rivalry because they're the same age. But they have huge respect for each other, they're good friends so it's a healthy rivalry.