New GB Tennis Role For Judy Murray

Judy Murray has been named Great Britain's Fed Cup captain by the Lawn Tennis Association.

Andy Murray's mother will take charge of the team for the first time in their Euro/Africa Zone Group One tie against Israel in February.

Her role will also involve mentoring and supporting Britain's most promising female performance coaches.

Murray said: "It is a huge honour for me to represent my country in this way, and the role presents a very exciting challenge, given the mix of talent, experience and determination we have in our top female players right now.

"I'm also really looking forward to working with the LTA to develop a bigger and stronger female coaching workforce. I want to encourage more women to get involved in coaching at the highest level, and to personally support their development."

The post of Great Britain's Fed Cup captain has been vacant since Nigel Sears quit this summer. The role was temporarily filled by Leon Smith who is responsible for women's tennis at the LTA.

Smith, who is also head of men's tennis and Davis Cup captain, welcomed Murray's appointment.

He said: "To have someone of Judy's standing in the sport in such a key role for us is going to be a huge asset as we look to support our best players and coaches, and begin to climb up the ladder in world tennis.

"I know the players and the rest of the team are really excited about this."