Murray urges LTA to focus on spreading tennis among kids

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has urged that Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to concentrate on spreading tennis among children in parks and schools and abandon their strategy of investing in players with little hope of making it in the sport.

According to the British No.1, as the numbers at the top of the game are too thin to expect an overnight renaissance on the back of a 'feel good' factor from his Wimbledon triumph, the LTA needs to encourage children to get on court at a younger age, the Guardian reports.

Stating that the LTA can start by improving the facilities like building more courts in schools, the Scot said that if the sport is a part of the Physical Education course, more children can start playing from a younger age, adding that the earlier a player starts, the more chance he has of making it ahead.

Enjoying the fact that young players look up to him, Murray further said that one of the positive things about attaining success in the game is that he can inspire a child or few children to take up the game, adding that he was inspired by Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski.

However, Murray insisted that he is not the right person to ask whether LTA will exploit his win to revive the game, adding that his mother would be a more suitable person as she knows more about grassroots tennis and how difficult it is to get kids to play.

Stating that the body has invested 25 million pounds into tennis facilities over the past five years, a LTA spokesman said that they have worked with the Tennis Foundation to deliver teacher training and free equipment to more than two million children in over half the schools in the country.

The spokesman further said that Murray's Wimbledon win has got everyone talking about tennis, adding that their job is to get more people playing tennis.