IT IS a passion that drives some of the pushiest parents to extremes. Watching their offspring struggle for glory on the tennis court, mothers and fathers are among the most reviled people in sport.

They are accused of being cruel, manipulative and abusive, and of making their children’s lives a misery to satisfy their own thwarted dreams.

Parents who are ambitious for their talented offspring but want to avoid pushing them too hard can now get advice from one of the highest-profile mothers in British sport.

Judy Murray, mother of the mercurial Scots tennis sensation Andy Murray, has overseen her son’s meteoric rise from shy Stirlingshire schoolboy to the player who last week triumphed in straight sets over the world number one, Roger Federer.

The former Scottish national tennis coach has launched an online guide to the pitfalls of hothousing sporting prodigies. At the website Britishtennisparents.com, Judy Murray reveals the secrets that helped the Scottish teenager to keep his infamous temper in check and nurture his talent.

She outlines her belief that youngsters can succeed at the highest levels without having damaging pressure heaped on them by obsessive parents.

Earlier this year Damir Dokic made headlines around the world when he said that he had thought about dropping a bomb on Sydney in retaliation for his daughter Jelena’s defeat in the first round of the Australian Open.

In France, Christophe Fauviau, father of two teenage prodigies, drugged the water bottle of an opponent, Alexandre Lagardère. He fell asleep at the wheel of his car and was killed in the crash. Faviau was jailed for eight years.

Mary Pierce, the Canadian who now plays for France, eventually had to take out a restraining order on her father Jim after he threw a juice can at the head of one of her opponents and urged her to “kill the bitch!”.

In contrast, Judy Murray has striven to avoid the excesses of other parents in the game while driving the careers of Andy and his brother Jamie during their rise through the tennis ranks.

Her message is that the values and attitudes that a child learns at home are crucial to their performance on the court.

“You do find the mad mum and the bad dad who get too uptight when watching their child’s match,” she said.

“I have seen verbal and physical abuse of children by parents who are just far too intense. As young players progress, especially ones from poorer countries, parents see their child’s success on the tennis court as a path to a better life.

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