Sir Andy Murray has revealed that a parent asked whether her six-year-old son needed a sports psychologist because he kept losing junior tennis matches.
The three-time Grand Slam champion encountered the mother while watching his own son compete for the first time.
Murray said the boy had been playing tennis for only three months, making the conversation particularly surprising.
Appearing on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast, Murray was asked whether he considered himself a good sports dad.
The father of four said he did and insisted he was “definitely not” someone who shouted from the sidelines.
He added, however, that watching children’s sport had exposed him to some “interesting parenting”.
“My son went to his first tennis competition a few weeks ago,” Murray said.
“I had one of the parents come to me and they were like, ‘What do you think is wrong with my son? He keeps losing matches, he gets to match point and he just can’t get over the line.’”
Sir Andy Murray has revealed that a parent asked whether her six-year-old son needed a sports psychologist because he kept losing junior tennis matches
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GETTY
The child, Murray pointed out, was six years old.
His matches were played to just 10 points and lasted only a few minutes.
Murray told the parent he could not assess the problem because he had never seen her son hit a ball.
She nevertheless suggested the issue was “definitely mental” and asked whether the former world No 1 had ever worked with a sports psychologist.
Andy Murray has won three Grand Slams, including two Wimbledon titles
“I did, but not when I was six,” Murray replied.
The exchange offered Murray a glimpse of the expectations placed on some children before they have had much chance to learn the sport.
He retired in 2024 after a career that included two Wimbledon titles, but said his approach as a parent is to watch without shouting instructions.
His mother Judy has previously raised similar concerns about how adults behave at junior tournaments.
Speaking on the Tennis Insider Club podcast, she said she had learned “how not to parent” by listening to children who were frightened of their parents’ reactions to defeat.
Some youngsters, she recalled, did not want to get into the car after losing because they expected an angry parent or a silent journey home.
Judy Murray has previously suggested that parents are too pushy when it comes to their children
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GETTYJudy said that anxiety could change the way children played.
Fear of losing made them cautious and less willing to take risks, she argued.
She has also challenged the perception that she was a pushy parent during the careers of Andy and his brother Jamie.
Both went on to become world No 1 players in their respective disciplines.
