I was born in Bridge of Allan, but I grew up in Dunblane, which is the next village along. The population was only 3,000 people then. My dad was an optician and opened his first practice on Dunblane high street. It’s still there, 50 years later. My mum was a housewife – she studied domestic science and is an incredible cook and homemaker. She’s just the perfect granny. Both my parents are alive: my mum is 81 and my dad is 84. I see a lot of them and they usually come to Wimbledon.
My brothers and I were always fighting with one another. I would fight with Keith, who is three years younger than me, and Keith would fight with Niall, who is six years younger than me. Then I would fight with Keith, to protect Niall. We got on well, though. I quite liked having younger brothers, because there was always somebody to do things with.
My mum would make us have a spoonful of Virol every morning because she thought it was good for us. It was a yeast product that looked like treacle and it absolutely stank. We always felt she was trying to poison us.
My parents taught me to play tennis at the age of 10. They were both very sporty. My mum was a volunteer tennis coach at the local club on a Saturday. We had goalposts and cricket stumps in the garden, and were always playing sports. Keith became a golf pro.
I was very close to my granny on my dad’s side. She used to watch me play tennis. She was my number one fan, but she would give me a ticking off if I lost my temper or bashed my racket on the ground. She was a great character and great fun. She loved wrestling, so I used to spend Saturday afternoons with her, watching it on her television. She never drove – she went everywhere on her bike, even at a ripe old age.
I was 26 when I had Jamie. Fifteen months later, I had Andy and we moved back to Dunblane from Glasgow. I found it really difficult. I felt quite cut off.
I think supporting your children is what good parenting is about. I was a very active mum and you form a close bond with your kids when you play with them a lot. You’ll always be the first port of call when something goes wrong. When they have to make a big decision about something, they are always going to come to you.
From a very young age, Andy was very competitive. He was one of those kids who would get really upset if he lost a game of Snap or a board game. He’d be the one who would tip the board up and strop and sulk. I think it came from having an older brother who was better than him at everything, simply because he was older. Andy always wanted to beat Jamie.
I felt relieved when Andy won Wimbledon in 2013, having seen how devastated he was when he lost the year before and knowing how much it meant to him. It takes a lot to bring somebody back from that kind of low. I would have loved to have enjoyed it more, but I found the whole thing very, very stressful.
Andy and Jamie haven’t changed much – they are still the same kids they always were. They are overseas most of the year, so they miss out on all sorts of family occasions. When we do have time together, it’s very special.
I love being a mother. I’ve got two great kids who are amazing – and great fun. I’ve always told them: aim high, but keep your feet on the ground. Don’t be afraid to dream or to believe or to reach for the stars, but never forget where you came from and always remain humble. I think Andy and Jamie have both done that extremely well.
• Judy is captain of the British women’s Fed Cup
