She may be ranked far lower than her capabilities suggest, but Heather Watson’s grass court success can be the perfect way to propel her back to old heights, that’s according to former Fed Cup captain Judy Murray.

Watson had struggled in the early part of 2017, but battled back to enjoy a successful Wimbledon Championships, reaching the mixed doubles final for the second successive year.

While victory was not to come the way of her and partner Henri Kontinen this time, losing to Judy’s son, Jamie and legend Martina Hingis, it capped off a strong fortnight at SW19, also reaching the third round of the women’s singles.

And Murray, 57, is confident that form can carry forward through the rest of the year, a campaign that could see her reach the US Open second round for the first time.

“Her ranking had dropped quite a lot before the summer, but she had a good semi-final performance at Eastbourne before Wimbledon and that really set her up,” said Murray of the world No.76, speaking at the launch of the #TeamUp challenge with SSE, the energy behind Andy Murray Live this November.

“She was able to carry that into Wimbledon and that will have given her a lot of confidence, let’s hope she kicks on from that because she is ranked well below where her abilities lie in my opinion, we all know she can get higher.

“You only have mixed doubles at the Slams, it seems to be more relaxed and more fun to watch and perhaps that helped her, particularly when it comes to Wimbledon.

“You get a lot more smiling and a lot more engagement and sometimes that can allow you to play better tennis.”

While the success of Watson and Johanna Konta has been noticeable, others have struggled to make an impact as the 40-year wait for a female Slam winner goes on.

That’s something Murray is adamant must change and fast, with the sport at a grassroots level threatened with decreasing participation levels.

She also believes Watson could be a key part of that, whether by going deep in a competition or lifting a title, success would could be revolutionary in the future of the sport.

“It’s so important to have women competing well and going deep in Slams,” she continued. “We’ve lost 30 per cent of girls and women in the sport since 2005 so we really need something to keep them coming back, and Heather and Jo can provide the inspiration and standpoint for that.

“We need greater strength in depth, there has been some huge success at the top of the game, but to become a top nation you have to transfer that opportunity and inspiration from the success all the way down.

“I focus my attention on grassroots now, because I believe that’s where I can have the biggest, long-term impact, helping the workforce and create more opportunities along the way.”

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