Teachers' Day Special: Judy Murray and Gloria Connors - The pillars for Andy and Jimmy

Andy Murray of Great Britain poses with the US Open Championship trophy next to his mother Judy Murray

“They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even when you don’t know it” ? Nicholas Sparks in ‘Dear John’ on the role that teachers play.

Tennis has witnessed some of the most amazing teachers throughout the years but there have been very few mother-son combinations that resulted in stupendous success.

From Gloria Connors to Judy Murray, these tennis mothers battled against the conventional notion of having male coaches, and devoted themselves selflessly to infusing their sons with a winner’s mind and heart.

They have exulted in their sons’ moments of glory and when they have failed, they have inspired them to pick up the tatters and try again; needless to say, have been their best teachers.

When Judy was seen sobbing profusely at the end of the 2013 Wimbledon final, it was a moment of fulfilment of a lifetime of ambition, encouragement, belief and faith – a journey that started when Judy, a former top Scottish player herself, passed on her sheer love and passion for the game to her kids, Jamie and Andy, when they were toddlers.

By inventing indigenous games like spongeballs and hitting balloons, Judy inculcated an in-depth love for sports in her two young boys, something which can now be seen in Andy Murray’s numerous tweets on various sports.

She would tirelessly hit with her two young sons and try to develop their hand-eye coordination and help them calm themselves and concentrate with full focus. Judy has since been intricately associated with both her sons’ careers and even started coaching them after being appointed the national coach by the Scottish Lawn Tennis Association.

She kept playing the role of the tennis matriarch and motivator with the utmost perfection. From driving her kids around to giving them the opportunity to play to letting them grow up as independent players, willing to fight on their own, Judy has been their friend, philosopher and guide.

Unsurprisingly, such an amazing bond has been witness to many delicate moments which can be communicated only between mother and son. When Andy succumbed in the 2010 Australian Open final, Judy said: “I will never forget him looking at me and saying ‘I’m so sorry, mum’.

“I pushed him away and said ‘Andy, don’t ever tell me you are sorry. Have you any idea how great that is for me, watching you on one of the best courts in the world? Your time will come, never forget that’.”

Having her in his box is an asset for Andy who has often said that his mum is the one who understands him the best. She is the one who will scream her lungs out, cheering for her son above the 15, 000-capacity crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was once reported that Ivan Lendl, Murray’s current coach, requested that if she was going to sit behind him, she better bring him ear-plugs!

Yet, time and again these matriarchs have had to face the wrath of a patriarchal society. Judy has often been referred to as the Tiger Mum of British tennis, and a steady inflow of hate mails and messages from her detractors have been a regular feature. From her demeanour to her style – everything has been criticized, and for years she has been branded as a ‘pushy’ mom.

Judy’s story is similar to the way Gloria Connors was perceived when she arrived into a man’s world as the female coach of a male player. Gloria, a strong and intense tennis mother, was the driving force behind Jimmy Connors’s career and was an integral part of the way Jimmy played and even behaved. In spite of being constantly disparaged, Gloria, a former tennis player and a competitor at the US Nationals twice, moulded her son’s game with able support from her own parents.

Jimmy Connors with his mother Gloria Connors and father James

From building the tennis foundation to forging the competitive drive, Gloria Connors had always been Jimmy’s pillar of strength. She imbibed his game with strong ground-strokes and taught him the necessity of taking the ball on the rise. Not only that, in their family backyard court in East St. Louis, Illinois, she would regularly slam shots past him in the hope of making an improvisation in his aggressive game.

Gloria was a hard taskmaster and would urge little Jimmy ‘to play like a crazy animal.’ “Get those tiger juices flowing,” – she would plead with Jimmy to channelize his inner rage into bashing the ball. But perhaps the reason for his intense anger and antics were far more deep-seated.

As a boy of the tender age of 8, he had to deal with the harsh reality of seeing his mother and grandfather being beaten up and bloodied on the public courts by a pair of rogues. Gloria was battered and bruised and struggled with her injuries till her death. That day proved to be fateful as it made Connors the way we know him as he talks about it in his autobiography, ‘The Outsider,’ – “This day will transform me more than any other event in my life. After watching my mom get battered, the need for revenge ran strong in me, and I found I could use the emotion. I took my anger and used it in my tennis.”

Tennis created an everlasting alliance between the hot-headed guy known as ‘Brash Basher of Belleville’ and his mother, and much like Judy, Gloria became Jimmy’s lifelong coach, publicist, manager and never missed any of his matches. Even when she took him to Southern California for tutelage by Pancho Segura, the Ecuadorian player, she never parted with her favourite pupil.

Both Andy Murray and Jimmy Connors have constantly defended their dedicated and courageous mothers and stood by them through thick and thin, appreciating their lifelong commitment and contribution to making them who they are today. Through every little step, these brave women not only helped their sons reach dizzying heights on the tennis courts, but also influenced the way they looked at life. “All my life she taught me — made me a world champion.” Connors said of his mother upon her death.

Perhaps the sweetest and most heartfelt token of gratitude that a son can ever give his mother was what Andy gifted his mum one Christmas. In a neat little card, the young Andy thanked his mum for ‘always believing in me, always supporting me, always letting me make my own decisions.’

Isn’t that what we all want to thank our teachers for?