Judy Murray has shared her desire to "keep challenging herself" as she grows older, declaring that we should "never be afraid" to step out of our "comfort zone".
Whether it’s discovering new ways you can practise self-care everyday to finding a new hobby that works for you, making time for yourself might not always be easy but it’s undoubtedly very important. This is certainly not lost on Judy Murray, who - after decades of dedication to tennis - is now focusing on herself and is stepping out of her comfort zone and embracing this as she grows older. Opening up to Hello! following her 65th birthday in September, Judy explained how she wants to keep "challenging herself" and reflected that it was her time on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing back in 2014 that helped to spark this realisation.
"When I did Strictly, I realised it was the first thing I had done for myself in years. It made me want to try more new things. As we grow older, we need to keep challenging ourselves, and we must always have things to look forward to," she shared. "We should never be afraid to step out of our comfort zone and try something different or go into somebody else's world."
Whilst her roots might be in the tennis world, the mother of tennis stars Andy and Jamie Murray has taken the plunge and already embraced a new challenge by taking up golf. It’s quickly taken hold of her, with Judy describing herself as being "addicted" to her new sport which she finds "so incredibly relaxing".
Judy Murray was drawn in by golf as it gets her "out in the fresh air and away from [her] phone" but isn’t as "physically demanding" as running around a tennis court is.
"[I]t suits me now that my arms aren't as strong as they once were," she said. "As we get older it's so important to keep trying to find things that stimulate you, make you think and keep you socially connected - and golf ticks all of those boxes."
Judy’s newfound hobby is something that seems to be hugely beneficial to her current wellbeing, though she also very much has the future in mind. Remarking upon how much she loves spending "gloriously exhausting time" with her five grandchildren, she shared how she has a clear goal for the strength and flexibility she wants to retain for the years to come.
"Having more time for my grandchildren is 100% my biggest joy. I want to run around after them, climb trees with them and, more importantly, get down from trees!" Judy declared. "I need to be able to get up and down off the floor, and I've noticed as I've got older I've lost a lot of strength in my arms and legs and I've had to work harder to regain that."
Judy has five grandchildren - Andy and his wife Kim's children Sophia, Edie, Teddy and Lola, and Jamie and his wife Alejandra's daughter Ava. All of them are under 10 and their proud grandmother resolved back in 2019 to do all she could to be active with them.
She added, "I just turned 65, but since I turned 60 I've realised how important it is to stretch to stay mobile and flexible if I want to stay active with my grandchildren. Being around young people on a daily basis keeps you young at heart and in mind. It's not so much about how old you are, it's more about how you feel."
Judy has a stretching routine and she swims regularly as she continues to “try more new things” outside of tennis. However, she hasn't turned her back on tennis entirely and in August she disclosed to The Sunday Times how she is keen to pass on her tennis know-how to the next generation as she embraces another new challenge alongside her sons Andy and Jamie.
Their plan is to one day open a tennis and sporting centre in their home town of Dunblane in Scotland, which would provide grassroots facilities for players and employ plenty of coaches.
"The three of us want to be able to share what we know, and what we did, with the next generation of players and coaches," she said. “When the boys are finished with their playing days they will have a lot more time to come to Scotland. We all want to give the country a centre of national significance for tennis and other sports, and the time is now. We need to get this over the line."
