Andy Murray criticises Scottish government and LTA after his ‘legacy’ tennis centre is scrapped

Andy Murray appeared to criticise the Scottish government and the Lawn Tennis Association after plans to build a multi-million pound tennis centre near Dunblane were shelved.

The £20 million project had been spearheaded by Murray’s mother Judy, who won an eight-year planning battle at the end of 2021 to build the complex south of Murray’s hometown.

It was hoped the multi-sport facility at Park of Keir would serve as part of Murray’s legacy by providing communities with greater access to sports, but on Monday the project was abandoned amid rising construction costs and stalled discussions between stakeholders.

On Tuesday, Murray reacted to the news on social media by posting “What a surprise” accompanied with an eye-rolling emoji.

Sources close to the Murray Play Foundation have said the family are furious at the decision after an apparent lack of enthusiasm from stakeholders and refusal to cover increasing construction costs meant the scheme could not progress to its next phase of development.

After initially agreeing to commit £5 million each to the project three years ago, both the Scottish Government via Sport Scotland and the LTA were reluctant to provide any more financial support when a 39 per cent increase in construction costs saw the overall total increase to £20 million.

That left the Foundation needing to make up the additional £5 million as well as a further £500,000 planning costs on top of the £5 million it has already agreed to commit, and eventually the controversial scheme was considered too risky in the current financial climate. It had also repeatedly been met with widespread opposition from environmental campaigners who said it should not be built on greenbelt land.

Judy, who had been the main driving force behind the project over the best part of a decade as part of her mission to increase tennis participation for children in Scotland, is said to be devastated by the news. The tennis mother has long been frustrated by the lack of legacy that her son’s storied career as well as that of his brother, the two-time doubles grand slam champion Jamie, has left in Scotland.

On Monday, Judy’s charity, the Murray Play Foundation, said the Park of Keir project was no longer viable in its current form.

The charity said in a statement that “significant increases in construction, material, energy and labour costs, a lengthy and uncertain planning process, and protracted discussions with governing bodies” were among the factors behind the decision.

The Murray Play Foundation spokesperson said Judy had spent 12 years investing “significant time” on the project and “encountered indifference and opposition for much of that period”. The spokesperson added: “However, she and her team persevered until several factors conspired to leave the project unviable in its current form and we no longer plan to seek a detailed planning consent on the site at Park of Keir.

“The Murray family is proud of what they have contributed to tennis in the UK and remain committed to growing the game and persuading governments, sports governing bodies and others of the significant health, social and economic benefits that flow from sustained investment in sport and physical activity.”

The charity said it would consider other initiatives to provide more people with the opportunity to play sport, fitness and physical activity.