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Judy Murray ‘not sure if she’ll ever forgive Boris Becker’ over controversial Andy Murray career claims


Judy Murray says he will ‘never forgive’ Boris Becker for suggesting she was holding back Andy Murray’s career.

Andy Murray lost a second successive Australian Open final in 2011 – both to Novak Djokovic – a year before he finally broke his duck with the 2012 US Open title.

However, Becker, who later coached Djokovic, controversially questioned whether Judy Murray joining her son for tournaments was becoming a distraction.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive Boris Becker for that,” she told BBC Scotland’s Fair Play podcast.

“He’s never apologised. I don’t think he would ever understand what he made me feel like.

“I called him out on it a couple of years later. I thought it was right to let him know how much damage he had caused by doing something like that.

“Boris Becker is such a huge figure in tennis and I thought, ‘people will think he knows what he’s talking about, they’re going to think that’s my fault’. And actually, I hardly ever went to the tournaments.

“Most players have their parents or their families with them at the Grand Slams.

“Those are the events where you need the most emotional support. It’s incredibly important.

Boris Becker - controversial Andy Murray career claims

“I came in for an awful lot of criticism simply for being a competitive woman who was pumping her fist watching her kid play in the same way that I had done all of his tennis playing life.

“I was being singled out by people who had never met me, never knew what we’d been through.

“It made me feel like there was something wrong with being a competitive mum, whereas if I’d been a competitive dad, you’d be applauded.

Becker certainly caused a stir with his comments, which were later branded sexist by Judy Murray.

“He doesn’t need to make major changes but maybe there are a few details for the Grand Slams,” Becker said in 2011.

“Is it the right decision for his mother and the whole team to be around? Maybe he needs someone around who has won a Grand Slam.”

Murray has since gone on to establish himself as a modern great, winning three Grand Slam titles and becoming world number one – all with Judy Murray at his side.


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Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.