Judy Murray hopes success for her Fed Cup side will encourage more women to take up tennis.

Britain's females are enjoying a resurgence, with Heather Watson and Laura Robson now inside the top 50 in the world rankings.

And Murray believes a strong Fed Cup campaign, which starts in Israel this morning, will inspire more youngsters to pick up a racket.

She said: "We have an exciting group of players and it is the perfect platform to push on and get more girls playing.

"The Fed Cup, in terms of growing the profile of women's tennis and of the group of players we have at the moment, is vital."

Britain should come through their Israel assignment – they must top Pool B and then come through a clash with the winner of Pool D – to advance to a World Group II play-off in April.

Victory there would then ensure a tournament calendar similar to that the majority of countries enjoy in the men's equivalent, the Davis Cup.

Murray added: "I hope we can get into a situation where we can have home-and-away ties on a regular basis like the Davis Cup.

"Although the two events are run by the International Tennis Federation they have a different playing format.

"For most of the countries which compete in the Fed Cup, to play for your country as a team consists of three to four days a year in February.

"Using the Fed Cup as a platform to grow women's tennis we need to get in a situation with home-and-away ties."

Murray is in the enviable position of being able to choose from Britain's strongest squad for many years – with Robson and Watson backed up by Fed Cup veteran Anne Keothavong and debutante Johanna Konta. Elena Baltacha has also travelled as she battles back from injury.