The Murray family are not the only ones excelling for Scotland at Wimbledon. In the girls’ singles there have been some remarkable results for two players, Anna Brogan and Maia Lumsden, a Glaswegian duo who have already been tipped for success.
The 17-year-olds began their junior campaigns this week with impressive victories and for Brogan, the Wimbledon dream continues. If her performances so far are any indication then Great Britain may well be bolstered in the full women’s draw a few years from now.
In 2013 Judy Murray, Britain’s Fed Cup captain, said Brogan and Lumsden were serious hopes for the future. She was on Court 11 on Tuesday as a supportive spectator to witness Brogan advance to round three before Lumsden fell at the competition’s second stage.
Even Andy Murray has spoken about an emerging crop of Scottish players during these championships. “Obviously the results were fantastic,” he said of their first-round wins on Monday. “I know Anna Brogan a little bit. Most of what I hear of them is through what my mum tells me. Both of the girls have got fantastic attitudes. Ali Collins, as well, works hard.
“That’s what you want. I just want to see players reach their potential, whatever that is. Tournaments like this make a big difference. When someone like Anna Brogan sees she’s beating the No1 in the world, it gives you a lift, it gives you some confidence.”
Murray was referencing Brogan’s fine victory against the No1 seed in the girls’ singles, Marketa Vondrousova. She prevailed against the Czech Republic player 6-1, 6-2 before making it successive wins here on Tuesdaywith another impressive win over Ukraine’s Katarina Zavatska.
It took Brogan – a wildcard for the tournament – one hour and 25 minutes to prevail 6-1, 6-3, producing a counter-punching display full of determination and guile. Zavatska had a sizeable forehand of her own, but the teenager from the south of Glasgow with a low centre of gravity demonstrated swift movement around the court.
She will play Anastasia Potapova in round three, and after beating the No1 seed Brogan, of Newlands Tennis Club, is high on confidence and hitting freely. She also exudes maturity and a focus that, for some young players, does not develop until later in their careers.
“I think I can play at the highest level, I don’t know exactly where but people who have played the game and know the game well believe I have something,” she said. “I’m a grafter, I work hard. My attitude is pretty good in training and I get stuck in. I know how to get my hands dirty. I like to mix it up a bit. I think my serve can get better, I don’t always want to be running my backside off.
“When I walked on to court there was a bit of [crowd] noise; that didn’t happen yesterday so that was nice. As a junior having a win like that at Wimbledon is a great boost, knowing I can come to Wimbledon and play well and win.”
Brogan and Lumsden have spent time in Florida of late, the former being taught under the watchful eye of Laura Robson’s coach, Mauricio Haddad – “It’s brutal in the winter in Glasgow, the weather makes a huge difference, playing outside” she admits – and Brogan has already received much support this week, notably a tweet from the Scottish swimmer Michael Jamieson who won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics.
For Lumsden, her tournament was ended with a 6-1, 6-1 defeat to the American Tornado Alicia Black. Despite the scoreline, this was no shameful result. Black is highly rated and reached the final of the 2013 US Open juniors, losing on a final-set tie-break.
Earlier in the week, Lumsden said of Andy and Jamie Murray: “They’ve been really great for Scottish sport and such an inspiration for us junior players to try and be like them.
She added: “I’ve known Anna for a long time, we trained together when we were very young, so it’s great we both beat seeds here.”
For Brogan, though, there remains the potential for gaining even greater experience. She is 573rd in the WTA rankings but has only recently started playing in senior competitions.
“I’ve played since as long as I can remember,” she said. “There’s a club across the road and I’m one of five children so my mum would just chuck us over there for the summer and get a bit of peace and quiet. It’s a different kind of atmosphere now in the tournaments, I guess the seniors are more disciplined and focused on themselves. I’ll just keep working hard and see what happens.”
