JUDY Murray has told how her sons’ rise to international sporting stardom inspired her to get her first tattoo at the age of 57.
The Strictly Come Dancing star said her new body art, a spider on her neck, symbolised the importance of working through challenges.
It is based on the legend of Scottish king Robert The Bruce who watched a spider fail over and over again to make a web before eventually managing it.
She compared the tale to the years she spent supporting her boys, Andy and Jamie, through their tennis careers.
She told ITV: “I did it when I finished my book [Knowing The Score: My Family And Our Tennis Story]. That story shows how, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Explaining how that mentality helped her overcome obstacles, the tennis coach said she “never in a month of Sundays” imagined her sons would soar to world recognition.
“I loved sport so it was second nature to me to play with my children as soon as they could walk,” she said.
But admitting that eldest son Jamie, 31, suffered an early knock when he took an opportunity to play abroad as a child, she said: “It did a lot to disrupt his confidence.
“Jamie kept trying to stick it out but then he didn’t play for several months.”
Learning from the ordeal, she continued: “I spend a lot of my time trying to advise parents against sending their children away [too young]. Let them be old enough to make their own decisions.
“That was what happened with Andy - he made the choice later on to go to Barcelona.
“Now they both do the same thing for a living but they learned very differently from each other. It’s an example of how every child is different and one size doesn’t fit all.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here