Judy Murray visited a Glasgow school to help inspire the tennis stars of the future as her sons gear up for the Davis Cup.

The coach visited Whitehill Secondary School in the city’s East End to watch a Tennis on the Road session in action.

She then spent the afternoon at the Emirates Arena, where Andy is due to play in Great Britain’s Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina.

Tennis on the Road was launched by Judy to help parents, teachers, coaches, students, volunteers and sports development teams deliver fun and engaging starter tennis sessions to children and teenagers.

She said: “It’s such an exciting time for tennis in Scotland right now and it’s a perfect opportunity for us to have a series of roadshows in Glasgow’s East End just before the Davis Cup semi-final.

“It’s been a fantastic day. The incredible success (of Great Britain’s tennis players) in the last 12 months has created so much excitement and profile around tennis that we must find ways to capitalise and get many more kids, teens and adults trying the game.

“The key to this is to create much more activity in all areas of the country and Tennis on the Road is focused on building workforces in local communities and showing creative ways to develop the skills you need to get started in tennis, regardless of age, stage or environment.” 

She was joined by her son Jamie for some demonstrations of games children can play to hone tennis skills.

Judy said: “I actually think he will be a really good coach if he decides to go into that when he stops playing.

“He has good people skills and is good at explaining things and has a nice way with him, so if he wanted to go down that route he’d actually be pretty good at it. 

“Some of the things we did today he’ll remember playing in the house. 

“There were no indoor courts when they were young, so we were always playing things in the house with balloons, bean bags and ping-pong balls, but it shows that you can develop the skills for any sport by playing actively at home.”

After the Davis Cup tie, both Andy and Jamie are due to take part in a live tennis exhibition in Glasgow next week in front of a sold-out crowd.

Judy said: “They don’t get home very often, they are both based in London now, so when they are here it’s important to try and make the most of that.

“It’s a wonderful thing to watch them play in Scotland in front of a great crowd.”

Doc McKelvey, head of development at Tennis Scotland, said: “It is fantastic to have Tennis on the Road back in Glasgow again before the much-anticipated Davis Cup semi-final. 

“The Davis Cup is a unique tournament that brings with it a unique atmosphere and it’s the perfect time for Tennis on the Road and Judy to host a session to help complement our existing pre-Davis Cup programme.”

Meanwhile, former British female number one player and TV presenter Annabel Croft was also in Glasgow to coach youngsters as part of her tennis academy sessions.

The 50-year-old was in the Emirates to encourage youngsters to try the sport as excitement mounted ahead of the Davis Cup.