Judy Murray believes she has the answer to getting more people more active in Scotland – pickleball.
The Scottish tennis coach and mother of Andy Murray spoke at the Skechers Pickleball Scottish Open at the weekend which saw a record-setting 380 competitors compete in more than 900 matches at the National Badminton Centre at Glasgow Club Scotstoun.
Judy first played pickleball - a mix of tennis, badminton, and table tennis - in South Carolina in 2019.
Since then, she's become an advocate for the sport.
She said: "It’s just fun and engaging, and it’s incredibly inclusive.
"And for Scotland, it’s a perfect fit for us.
"We have terrible weather, we have badminton courts everywhere — in every community centre and sports centre.
"Even church halls have badminton courts.
"So, in terms of setting up quickly, wherever you are, I think it’s a perfect fit for getting more people more active, more often in Scotland."
Pickleball Scotland has revealed that participation in the sport has surged by more than 10,000 per cent across the country – from just 50 players in 2018 to more than 5,200 this year.
Anne Smillie, former chief executive of Badminton Scotland, and current board member of Pickleball Scotland, recently predicted pickleball would overtake tennis as Scotland’s most popular racket sport by 2030.
She said: "It’s the fastest-growing sport I’ve ever seen.
"I’m absolutely convinced that, with the right funding and institutional backing from Sportscotland, pickleball will become Scotland’s leading racket sport by the end of this decade."
The tournament attracted players from 14 countries, including European champion Louis Laville and former Team Scotland Commonwealth Games table tennis stars Lucy Elliot and Corinna Whitaker-Stone.
Pickleball is played on a smaller court with what looks like a large ping pong bat and a perforated plastic ball and is easy to learn and suitable for all ages and skill levels.
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