Leading Scottish and top 50 UK law firm, Brodies LLP, has joined forces with the Judy Murray Foundation, to help get tennis enthusiasts and aspiring players safely back on the court.
The first programme of its kind, and the brainchild of Judy Murray, 'Back to Tennis with Brodies' is a free resource designed to give tennis players, or those new to the sport, a series of fitness and skill-building exercises that can be done at home or as part of a fun and sociable class at clubs, parks and schools, while adhering to safe distancing guidelines.
Scotland's tennis community has rallied behind the project, with world-ranked touring pros, promising juniors and top coaches, sharing some of their favourite exercises from their homes around the world to give players and new starts - of all ages and stages - a unique opportunity to train alongside the nation's best, including Andy and Jamie Murray.
Former World No.1 and three-time grand slam winner, Andy, and former World doubles No.1 and seven-time doubles grand slam champion, Jamie are joined by a host of tennis talent and leading coaches including Scotland's top two women - Maia Lumsden (Glasgow) and Ali Collins (Dunblane); promising juniors Rosie Sterk (Stonehaven), Lauren O'Brien (Glasgow), Matt Rankin (Edinburgh) and Charlie Robertson (Forfar); touring pros Jonny O’Mara (Arbroath) and Aidan McHugh (Glasgow); and GB Fed Cup Coach, Colin Fleming (Linlithgow).
Back to Tennis with Brodies includes three 30-minute programmes, created and introduced by Judy Murray.
Programme one is for individuals and features 20 exercises that can be done in your own space and time, at home or can be delivered in a club, park or school class using your own racket and ball. No other equipment is required. When run as a class, players work at their own safe distanced station, and follow the demonstrations of a coach, teacher or instructor.
Programme two is also for individuals and can be done in your own space and time at home or it can be delivered at a club, park or school as a circuit-style class. Players bring their own racket and ball and move between the 20 stations.
Programme three is for parents and grandparents to play together with children age 6-10. It has 10 skill-building games which can be recreated at home using household objects, or can be delivered as a club, park or school session.
Commenting on the programme's launch, Judy Murray said: "I'm really excited about Back to Tennis with Brodies. You don't have to be a tennis player to benefit from the exercises, but those looking to get back on the court, or try tennis for the first time, can make sure their bodies are ready to meet the demands of tennis by following the exercises in the programme. I wanted it to be inclusive of all ages and stages, so we have designed two sessions that you can do yourself at home or as part of a fun, sociable group activity in a club, park or school and both take into account the safe distancing measures.
"As you will see in the videos, these are 40 exercises that Andy, Jamie and other top Scottish players and coaches have filmed to help develop coordination, concentration, stamina, strength, speed, balance, agility, shadow strokes and footwork patterns. You don't need to be on a tennis court. Just find a small space and off you go!
"Programme 3 is for families. I’m a big believer in involving the parents at the start of a child’s tennis journey. If parents understand what tennis will demand of their kids in terms of physical skills, and you can show them how to develop those skills through simple fun games at home, you’ve immediately created a tennis family and a built-in practice partner for the child. That’s crucial for both enjoyment and development.
"Having the support and backing of Brodies has been crucial in the development and delivery of the programme as a free resource, and I continue to be grateful for all that the firm does to support tennis in Scotland."
Andy Murray said: “There’s a huge opportunity for tennis to grow its numbers and attract new people into the game right now because it’s one of the first sports to open up. These three programmes are fun, free and inclusive so I hope they will encourage many more people to give tennis a go."
Jamie Murray said: "We want to open tennis up as a sport for everyone in Scotland, so everything has to be fun and doable. In Back to Tennis with Brodies, programmes one and two, there is no need for sophisticated equipment or a court to do these exercises. Download the programmes to your phone or iPad, copy our demos and if you do these regularly you will soon develop the physical skills you need to play great tennis."
Brodies managing partner, Nick Scott, said: "Scotland is very fortunate to have an ambassador for sport like Judy. Her commitment to tennis at all levels and ability, and her mission to ensure that it is an inclusive sport is infectious, so it was our privilege to work with her once again to deliver this project. We hope that in getting Andy, Jamie and so many talented tennis players across Scotland involved that it will encourage people to take part in safe exercise and introduce more people to tennis."