JOHN Swinney has committed the SNP government to looking at “other approaches and opportunities” to mark Andy Murray's tennis legacy.
The First Minister’s comments come after a project to build a £20 million tennis centre near Dunblane, which was led by Judy Murray, was shelved.
The Park of Keir development had attracted controversy from locals and was opposed by the Scottish Greens, who said the Murray legacy would not best be protected by “a private tennis resort that's on protected green belt land, that's inaccessible for most people in Scotland”.
Concerns also centred on the fact that the overall development did not only include sports facilities, but also luxury housing.
Judy Murray won an eight-year planning battle to build the complex at the end of 2021, but on Tuesday a spokesperson for the Murray Play Foundation charity said the project was no longer viable in its current form.
Speaking to The Courier on Wednesday, the First Minister said he would like to see the legacy of the Murray tennis family marked.
“Andy and Jamie Murray have made an enormous contribution to sport in Scotland, particularly in relation to tennis,” Swinney said.
“And I want to make sure that we work with the family and the foundation to make sure that legacy is marked in Scotland in the most appropriate way.”
The First Minister further said his government had spoken to the Murray Play Foundation about the now shelved development, adding: “But there will be other approaches and opportunities to take forward and I commit the government to doing that.”
Andy Murray chose to end his Wimbledon career this year with a doubles appearance alongside his brother Jamie during the 2024 Championships.
The 37-year-old then played the final match of his career when he and Dan Evans were beaten in the quarter-finals of the Olympic men’s doubles in Paris earlier this month.
Murray, considered one of Scotland’s greatest ever sportsmen, won three Grand Slam titles including two at Wimbledon, as well as gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
