When it comes to producing a tennis champion, it is widely agreed that there is no magic formula. You can have all the money in the world, the best facilities, the best coaches, the most talent and still, there is no guarantee that you will make it on to the professional tour, let alone to reach the top of the sport.
The only thing that is a constant is the presence of parents. And that’s not always a good thing. Juggling being a mentor, coach and unpaid taxi driver brings its own stress but for every Judy Murray, who helped to guide her sons – Andy and Jamie – to the world No 1 ranking in singles and doubles respectively and who ferried a legion of young hopefuls around the country from tournament to tournament, there is a Jim Pierce, who once called out “Mary, kill the bitch”, when his daughter was playing in a junior event, or a Damir Dokic, the father of Jelena, who was banned from the tour for his aggressive behaviour.
