Sports writer Jon Wertheim believes Judy Murray might have risked the wrath of her son Andy Murray by supporting tennis in Saudi Arabia.
The journalist was speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
So, what has Wertheim said about Murray? Let’s take a closer look…
What Jon Wertheim said about Judy Murray
Ultimately, Saudi Arabia are trying to basically get as many sports to take place in their country as possible – and tennis is another market they’re tapping into.
In 2022, Taylor Fritz defeated Daniil Medvedev to claim a $1m prize pot but the attendances at the tournament didn’t really ensure the tournament was a success.
Murray was spotted at that tournament and Wertheim believes she will risk the wrath of her son by throwing her weight behind the concept.
The two-time Wimbledon champion has gone on record and said he wouldn’t play in Saudi Arabia and the writer thinks that could be an issue.
Wertheim told the Served with Andy Roddick podcast: “I’ll tell you one thing. I went over there about a year ago and they happened to be having a tennis exhibition. I played high school matches in front of bigger crowds, this is not about 1000 people going to watch Kyrgios and Rublev. Taylor Fritz ended up winning the million dollars and you could count the fans on two hands. But one of the first people I saw there was Judy Murray.
“I was like wait a second, Andy Murray has gone on record saying he won’t play Saudi Arabia and his mum is one of the first people I happen to see there, she was doing a clinic. Her attitude clearly is look we need to build bridges, we need exposure and we need to take down barriers.
“Andy clearly has a very different take, so even in the same household two very reasonable people can reach a different conclusion about this.”
Murray right to stick to his principles
Much like Rory McIlroy who refuses to be lured by the LIV golf tour, Murray will win a lot of friends by making this decision.
However, it will be interesting to see if anyone does ever get the chance to quiz Murray on his mum’s decision.
Obviously, the relationship between the two is watertight but it does make for an intriguing topic of debate.
Ultimately, the Saudi Arabian stuff is a pretty controversial topic anyway and the tennis concept is certainly open for discussion.
Given that the attendances were so poor last time around, it does seem somewhat strange that they’d consider doing another event.
Still, it’s hard to fault the players who do fancy the idea of playing over there.
Tennis at the elite level can be a short career and for these players they might see the Saudi riches as a chance to make some easy money pretty quickly.
Now, it will be interesting to see if Murray continues to back the ventures in the future.
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