When Judy Murray first announced plans for a major purpose-built tennis facility near Dunblane, her youngest son was at the peak of his powers. Less than a year earlier, he had ended Britain’s 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam singles champion with an epic victory over Novak Djokovic in the US Open final, and in the weeks that would follow, he would secure his first Wimbledon triumph and an Olympic gold medal.
Eleven years on, Sir Andy is slipping into his baffies, while the centre that was envisaged as both a fitting legacy to his storied career, and a catalyst to encourage others to follow in his footsteps, is dead in the water. Perhaps in years to come, other nations around the world will look to Scotland for a world-class example of how to squander a gift-wrapped opportunity.
Given how long the development remained mired in planning purgatory, the Murray Play Foundation’s announcement that it has scrapped plans for the £20 million tennis centre at Park of Keir is not entirely surprising. In order to raise capital funding, the charity, which counts Ms Murray among its trustees, also wanted to build a hotel and 19 luxury homes. This, added to the fact that the entire scheme was earmarked for greenbelt land, proved insurmountable.
