Tennis Atlantic

Judy Murray (@JudMoo) A Champion In Fight Against Childhood Obesity

Just two days after a commanding win on the courts of twitter, there was Judy Murray yesterday, quietly listening in at the back of the USTA press conference on childhood obesity and trying not to be noticed.

Naturally, I had to get her take on the news that the USTA is joining forces with the governing bodies of other sports to tackle children’s physical inactivity. The British Fed Cup Captain is an expert in the field of motivating kids.

What did you think of the USTA initiative to join forces and end childhood physical inactivity?

“I agreed with everything that they were saying. You have to tackle these things and it starts with the parents. You have to get to the parents first. I love the idea that you’re trying to do that. It’s very similar to the Set4Sport program that I run in the UK, which is aimed at showing parents how to play actively with their kids to get them off the couch and get them moving. If they can learn to enjoy a healthy active lifestyle at a young age, then they’ll continue that into later years.”

Specifically, how do you feel about 10 and under tennis?

“It’s all very well starting them off with mini-tennis with short racquets, sponge balls and smaller courts. It’s a fantastic opportunity for kids to get started. But kids need somebody to play with, and who better to play with than the parents? It comes back to educating the parents and encouraging them to play in the hopes they can help their kids to play.”

—S. Fogleman