Judy Murray joins the D.C. Thomson family!

We’re big fans of Judy Murray here in the “Friend” office, so we were delighted to hear our colleagues over in The Sunday Post are welcoming her as their new columnist – you’ll see that she’s not only great fun, but she’s not afraid to voice her opinions, either!

She was once known simply for being Andy and Jamie Murray’s mum, never far away from the tennis court sidelines, shouting and encouraging them on. In the last few years, though, that’s changed. She’s got more than 220,000 followers on Twitter and she’s often in the news.

And let’s not forget the much talked-about appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2014. She partnered with Anton Du Beke – and showed that actually, she was far from the dour “tennis mum” she’d often been portrayed as.

“I had such a brilliant time dancing with Anton. My first dance was Mull of Kintyre. And while we were rehearsing a producer came over and we were discussing using dry ice,” she remembers. “Anton asked, could we get it up to her neck?” She roars with laughter.

Now Judy has become a “name” in her own right. Her achievements are many and well-known. But, at 58, she’s not finished yet. And she’s absolutely thrilled to be bringing you her news and views every week.

“Well, you know, The Sunday Post has always been in my family. My mum and dad are total stalwarts and get the paper every week,” Judy told the Post.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, though, her favourite part of the paper has been tennis-related.

“When I was a teenage tennis player I remember absolutely loving The Sunday Post because John Lloyd had a column when he was married to Chris Evert,” she remembers. “And I loved Chris Evert. He would talk about what she had for breakfast and what dresses she was wearing.

“It was a rundown of her whole week at Wimbledon. I absolutely loved that. It was a little insight into things you don’t normally read about.

“I’ve always loved the fact it’s about family and community, too.”

She’s a granny now and dotes on Andy and wife Kim’s daughter Sophia.

“Oh, it’s lovely to have a little girl in the family to fuss over!” she says.

Both her sons have twice been Wimbledon champions – Andy in singles, Jamie in mixed doubles – and have won numerous other titles but ask Judy what her proudest moment is and she instantly chooses something closer to home.

“There’s no question: The Davis Cup semi-final in 2015 against Australia at The Emirates in Glasgow,” she says. “I’ve had loads of proud moments. But this one stands out for a number of reasons.

“It was the semi-final, middle day when they play the doubles. Sitting in The Emirates, it’s heaving, 8000 people there and the atmosphere was incredible.

“And the noise when they walked on was incredible. I just sat there thinking, if someone had told me 40, 30, maybe even 20 years ago I’d be sitting in a stadium in the east end of Glasgow where you can’t find a tennis court, watching Scottish players and a Scottish captain contesting the semi-final of the world team event I would have said, nah.”

She pauses to remember the moment, grinning.

“That was everything to me. It was tennis in Scotland, they were representing Great Britain, with a coach I’d nurtured. It had it all.”

When I ask about whether she ever felt like giving up during long years of slogging to help her boys reach the top, she gives me a detailed answer about how money was often a struggle.

Really, though, the short answer is no – giving up isn’t in her make-up. When she sets her mind to something, she’s as stubborn as they come.

When we asked when did she first realise she was famous in her own right? She almost shudders.

“I don’t think of myself as being famous,” she says. “I bristle when people call me a celebrity. I think it’s probably a Scottish thing. I know my life has changed a lot in the last 10 years, but I haven’t changed.”

We’re pretty sure she’s right.

Join Judy every week in the Sunday Post for more.