Judy Murray describes shock at Andy’s pet rescue

Judy Murray who is a firm believer in grassroots tennis, told of her shock when her son rescued a dog from traffic. Picture: TSPL

The tennis ace stopped traffic as he saw the labradoodle – a labrador-poodle cross – running towards oncoming cars at the weekend then returned it to its startled owner.

Speaking at Wimbledon yesterday, Judy Murray said her reaction was: “What are you doing? You’re on the way to Wimbledon and you’re going to get run over.”

She said the dog’s owner was just as astonished. “Andy was sitting in the car and she [the owner] just went, ‘Oh my God’.”

Meanwhile, she remained coy about rumours she is to star in television show Strictly Come Dancing, but made it clear who she would like as a partner.

When asked, she said: “Artem.” Artem Chigvintsev is one of the programme’s professional dancers. Asked if she thought she would progress towards the final in the BBC show, she said: “I’m only going to be watching it on television.”

The 54-year-old tennis coach is a fan of Strictly and has posted comments about the dancers on her Twitter account. She is believed to be in advanced talks to join the next series.

Surrounded by a press pack, Ms Murray, who was serving up coffee to fans in the queue, was asked why she would choose Chigvintsev. “Because I think he is a phenomenal dancer and I love watching him dance,” she said.

Asked if Chigvintsev’s toned chest had anything to do with her preference, she joked: “That’s not bad, either.”

She was also coy about bookmakers closing betting on her son getting engaged to girlfriend Kim Sears during the tournament – and her views on the independence referendum. She volleyed questions on both with “no comment” replies.

Murraymania returned to Wimbledon yesterday as he continued his bid for a second title at the All England Club. The Scot got the royal seal of approval when the Duchess of Cornwall left her seat in the royal box on Centre Court to watch his match on Court No 1 instead.

Murray was personally congratulated by Camilla on his second-round win over Slovenian Blaz Rola 6-1, 6-1, 6-0, which took an hour and 24 minutes.

A royal spokeswoman said: “She bumped into Andy Murray when he left the court, as he was going back to his locker room, and congratulated him.”

Speaking about his royal fan, Murray said: “It’s nice that she came to watch the match.”

l Fans have been warned not to bring Thermos flasks to Wimbledon “for security reasons”. The flask ban means people have to pay out £2.10 each time they want a cup of tea.

A message on the tournament’s Twitter account told visitors to SW19 to check the list of prohibited items, adding: “Don’t bring a Thermos.”

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