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Andy Murray says he will 'always be there on the phone' to help Emma Raducanu - if she wants his advice

Emma Raducanu sensationally won the US Open earlier in September - Why Emma Raducanu and the great summer of sport will do little to ease Britain's activity crisis - PA
Emma Raducanu sensationally won the US Open earlier in September - Why Emma Raducanu and the great summer of sport will do little to ease Britain's activity crisis - PA

Andy Murray says he will "always be there on the end of the phone" for Emma Raducanu - but he will not "wade in" with advice as he knows how annoying it can be.

The two-time former Wimbledon champion admitted he "found it incredibly irritating" when older peers would tell him what he "should and shouldn't be doing".

As a result, he has taken a very passive role in encouraging the US Open champion behind the scenes. Sources said texts have been exchanged between the pair, but he has deliberately chosen to stay quiet on social media about her.

Murray, whose own US Open triumph in 2012 ended a 76-year drought in men's grand slam singles, has promised her all the advice she needs, but only when she asks for it.

"I never really liked it when all of the ex-British tennis players were always wading in after every win and loss about what you should be doing, what you shouldn't be doing, and a lot of them also giving advice when you haven't asked for it as well," he said ahead of his clash with Ugo Humbert at the Moselle Open in Metz.

"I found it incredibly irritating - and still do today. I don't want to be that person. What Emma has achieved is incredible and I hope she goes on to do more amazing things in the sport, and if she ever wants to talk, or her family, obviously I would always be there on the end of the phone.

"But I don't want to be that guy after every loss or win just wading in and giving my opinion on what she should or shouldn't be doing differently because it's not helpful."

Murray also reiterated his belief that the 18-year-old's march to an unlikely victory at Flushing Meadows 44 years after Virginia Wade's triumph at SW19 is another opportunity to grow the grass-roots game which should not be passed up.

His comments came as Baroness Grey-Thompson also led calls for a united approach to tackle an activity crisis, warning that the Raducanu fairytale will have little long-term impact in getting Britons off the sofa.

Why Emma Raducanu and the great summer of sport has done little to ease Britain's activity crisis

Just 25 per cent of women feel fit enough post-pandemic, according to research by ukactive, which is calling on Government to help to boost memberships of gyms and swimming pools by more than half.

Assessments of fitness levels since Covid-19 restrictions disrupted gym and sports club regimes found less than a third of the nation overall is now satisfied that they are in shape.

A further one in ten of those who said they were most dissatisfied added that they struggle to carry out the most basic of daily tasks, such as getting dressed.

Baroness Grey-Thompson is now leading a campaign with ukactive calling on Government to help boost memberships of gyms and swimming pools by more than half.

A combined effort is needed, the 11-time Paralympic gold medalist said, as Britain's great summer of sport cannot alone "drive long-term change" to wider fitness levels.

England's Euro 2020 final appearance, followed by Britain's Olympic and Paralympic success and then Raducanu's US Open triumph "lifted the nation and we got very excited", she added.

Great Britain's Tanni Grey-Thompson acknowledges the crowd after finishing second in the 200metres T53 event during the Visa Paralympic World Cup at the Manchester Regional Arena, Manchester - PA
Great Britain's Tanni Grey-Thompson acknowledges the crowd after finishing second in the 200metres T53 event during the Visa Paralympic World Cup at the Manchester Regional Arena, Manchester - PA

However, the ukactive chair told Telegraph Sport that lessons from previous Wimbledon successes and the London 2012 legacy have shown that they cannot alone get people off the sofa.

"We've talked about the Wimbledon effect for squillions of years - that people play for a couple of weeks and then they stop," she said. "Or we saw after 2012 - we saw lots of people turn up at an athletics club, wanting to be the next Jess Ennis and then you realise actually Friday nights at an athletics club is not that exciting.

"The moments are really lovely, but they don't drive long-term change. You need another level of change, to get people to take personal responsibility to think of their own, long-term health."

The survey commissioned by ukactive and carried out by Savanta ComRes involved more than 2,000 respondents across the UK. The results found that fitness satisfaction levels were highest overall in London, but lowest in the East Midlands and Northern Ireland. Overall, 25 per cent of women and 30 per cent of men said they were satisfied by their fitness levels.

Ukactive, which represents public and private sector facilities, says modelling shows that, with Government help, gyms, pools and leisure centres can attract more than five million new people between now and 2030. That would make an increase to 20 per cent of the UK population using fitness facilities - up from 15 per cent prior to the pandemic.

Campaigners are urgently trying to tackle fears that participation could decline after facilities were forced to shut for eight months.

Demand is growing again, and ukactive is now lobbying Government to include VAT relief, business rates reform and infrastructure investment as part of its vision to ensure the gym and leisure sector is booming by 2030.

Huw Edwards, chief executive of the industry body, said: “This is an opportunity to shift the dial on the nation’s health over the next eight years, resulting in five million people becoming far more active in their daily lives."

Ukactive is hoping its warnings will help raise awareness around National Fitness Day, which takes place on Wednesday.