Mother of British grand slam hopeful Kyle Edmund fears jinxing his chances by nagging him about sun cream Down Under

Kyle Edmund with his mother Denise at the family home in Beverley, East Yorkshire
Kyle Edmund with his mother Denise at the family home in Beverley, East Yorkshire Credit: Denise Edmund

Tennis fans have grown used to the stern presence of Judy Murray urging her son Andy to greatness and not being shy to offer encouragement from her courtside seat.

But when the new British grand slam hopeful Kyle Edmund steps onto the court for the semi-final of the Australian Open on Friday his mother Denise will be nowhere to be seen.

Mrs Edmund says she does not want to annoy her son by nagging him about whether he has got enough sun cream on, so has decided to stay away from Melbourne - unless he reaches the final itself.

"I'm not planning on going to watch over there as Kyle has got his winning formula and he needs to stick with that without his mum nagging him about whether he's got enough sun cream on,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

“I 100% know he is in the best care. Kyle will be so focused. When he walks on court he needs to think only about himself without distractions. But when he gets to the final I might join him!”

She is not the first tennis mother to steer clear of the offspring’s key matches. Heather Watson’s mother Michelle frequently sits them out, so as not to distract her, and last year Johanna Konta’s mother Gabriella was too nervous to watch her Wimbledon semi-final from courtside.

Mrs Edmund at her home in Beverley, East Yorkshire
Mrs Edmund at her home in Beverley, East Yorkshire Credit: Charlotte Graham/The Telegraph

Mrs Edmund has repeatedly warned her pale-skinned son to cover himself in sunblock and high factor lotion before every match during the grand slam tournament down-under.

It seems it is almost as important a part of his game as the efforts of his Swedish coach Fredrik Rosengren to toughen his mental attitude and his infamously powerful forehand smash.

Mrs Edmund, 50, said: "He is very pale and light skinned and I'm always telling him what to pack and making him take sun cream and sun block for his cheeks. I always get him the spray one. He jokes that I always nag him saying "don't forget the sun cream", I think if I cannot give him tips and advice on tennis then at least I tell him to look after himself in the sun.”

But it seems she may indeed need to remind him before his semi final against Marin Cilic.

Kyle Edmund of Great Britain celebrates winning match point in his quarter-final match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria on day nine of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park
Kyle Edmund of Great Britain celebrates winning match point in his quarter-final match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria on day nine of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park Credit: Paul Rovere/Getty Images

During his quarter final victory against the world number three Grigor Dimitrov, on Monday, it was 25C, hot enough for the players to drape ice towels around their necks during changeovers.

Edmund, 23, admitted: “I got a bit burned on Monday. I didn’t put enough on then. It’s my neck that gets the worst. You’re in the sun quite a bit. I know I have to pause because of my pale skin. I have to take responsibility. My mum gives me a lecture if I don’t.”

If Edmund goes on to win the Open he will have gone one better than five times finalist Andy Murray by becoming the first British man to win the Australian grand slam since Fred Perry in 1934. John Lloyd also reached the final in 1977, losing in five sets to Vitas Gerulaitis.

Edmund moved to the UK from South Africa with Denise and Steven, a businessman originally from Wales, when he was just three and the family settled in the village of Tickton, near Beverley. By the age of 13 had been offered a place at a tennis academy at Bisham Abbey in Buckinghamshire, and at 17 moved to the LTA's National Training Centre in Roehampton.

When he was 15 Edmund was awarded a scholarship by Wates Giving, a charity set up by the Wates Family, owners of the construction group, during his quest to become a professional tennis player. The award helped Kyle – whose father Steven worked for Wates at the time – cover coaching and travelling costs.

Kyle as a schoolboy, showing off some of his early trophies
Kyle as a schoolboy, showing off some of his early trophies Credit: Lawn Tennis Association

Mrs Edmund said: “When we moved here from South Africa the last thing I wanted them to do was to sit in front of the TV all day so I booked them tennis classes.

“Whereas his sister Kelly would be offering her opponent Jaffa cakes, Kyle was always more intense and serious.

"He was obsessed with anything with a ball, football, rugby, cricket you name it. He'd get all the neighbour's to form a street cricket team so he could play or he'd get them all to come out and play football with him.”

Although he recently bought a property in the Bahamas as a warm-weather training base Edmund, who has earnt £1.52m during his career so far, regularly returns to Beverley to visit both his family and his old tennis club.

"He might fly all over the world now but when he comes home all he wants is for me to cook him a Sunday roast with Yorkshire puddings. Every time! I'm in trouble if I don't!” said Mrs Edmund.

Kyle Edmund following in footsteps of another tennis champion from Beverley

To win the Australian Open would be a rare achievement, but surprisingly Kyle Edmund would not be the first player from his hometown of Beverley to do so.

John Colin Gregory, a medical doctor and amateur member of the Beverley and East Riding Tennis Club - where Edmund first started to play - won the 1929 final in four sets against the Australian Richard Schlesinger.

A tribute hanging in the Beverley and East Riding Lawn Tennis clubroom to Dr Colin Gregory, who won the Australian Open men's singles in 1929
A tribute hanging in the Beverley and East Riding Lawn Tennis clubroom to Dr Colin Gregory, who won the Australian Open men's singles in 1929 Credit: Charlotte Graham/The Telegraph

Dave Beckett, Edmund’s coach at the club - which dates back to 1880 and is one of the oldest in the country  - said: "I think Kyle has a little way to go to catch up with him Dr Gregory, but I'm confident he can do it. He has fantastic support from his family.”

Mr Beckett realised the young Kyle had potential when he began playing the adults and beating them.

He said: "When he was 10 his dad Steven brought him to David Lloyds for a game where we were having a knock around. He asked if he could join in with the adults and this little boy just whacked all these balls past us. We knew then this little boy would be a fantastic player.”

Edmund fans call for Murray Mound to be renamed Kylemanjaro

He has not yet scaled the dizzy heights of Wimbledon, but already there is already talk of renaming the All England Club’s Murray Mound.

Loyal Murray fans may think it a trifle premature, after all their man is the only British player since Fred Perry to win a grand slam on home turf - while Edmund has only managed to reach the second round of the single’s tournament, last year.

But viewers of BBC Breakfast yesterday decided that after reaching the Australian Open semi final Edmund deserves the acclaim of having the famous hill in the grounds of the All England Club named after him.

Sixty per cent of those who took part in a Twitter poll created by BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker said it should be renamed Kylemanjaro.

Murray Mound’s previous incarnation was Henman Hill, in honour of Tim Henman, who, though he never won a Wimbledon title, did reach the semi-finals four times between 1998 and 2002.

Mr Walker said: “The people have spoken.”

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