AS THE rain kept her younger son in the Eastbourne locker room, kicking his heels impatiently waiting to resume Britain's Davis Cup tie against Israel, Judy Murray was busying herself with the development of the domestic game. Not even the elements can slow down Mrs M. As the most famous tennis parent in the country, Murray, together with the LTA, has launched a new website (www.britishtennisparents.com).

For generations, tennis parents have got a bad rap as everyone from the likes of John McEnroe's driven father, John Senior, to Andre Agassi's obsessive father, Mike, through the combative pair of Jim Pierce and Stefano Capriati (fathers of Mary and Jennifer) and on to the eccentric Yuri Sharapov and Richard Williams have been held up as examples of how not to bring up a tennis player. But for every Yuri, Richard and Mike, there are thousands of parents just trying to help as best they can.

"There has to be a huge commitment from the parents," Murray said. "As soon as the child starts competing, there is the transport to arrange, the time involved, the overnight stays - it is all very expensive. And if you have another child who is maybe not involved in tennis, you feel torn as a parent."

Even the biggest names in the game had to start somewhere and even they needed help at the beginning. When Andy Roddick, as a scrawny 18-year-old, first announced his arrival on the big stage by beating Pete Sampras at the Miami Masters in 2001, he ran off to see his mum, Blanche, as soon as the match was over.

"He said 'Thanks for driving me all of those miles'," Blanche said. "And as big as that moment was, he reflected back to think 'How did I get there?'"

Murray was fortunate in that she knew the game inside out when her two sons first showed a talent for and an interest in tennis. As a former player herself, she became the national coach in Scotland and so had a huge range of names to contact for help and advice. For those outside the sport, the route through the wilderness of clubs, coaches, training and competition is not so well marked.

"I wanted to create a site filled with first-hand experience and guidance from parents and coaches who have been through all of the stages of tennis player development themselves," Murray said. "The advice is for parents of children of all ages across all standards - from under-10s to 18-year-olds, beginners and those about to turn pro.

"It is exactly the kind of website I would have used regularly when Andy and Jamie were juniors."

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