If Andy Murray lifts the Wimbledon trophy on Sunday he will win not only a place in sporting history, but a cheque for £850,000 to add to his career winnings of more than £4.6 million.

But before you rush to buy a racket and set your offspring off in his footsteps, budding tennis parents be warned: reaching the glories of Centre Court is neither easy nor cheap. A study released yesterday places the cost of becoming a Wimbledon champion at nearly £2.5 million.

From the first racket and kit — about £100 — and tennis lessons (an introductory summer camp costs about £330), costs soar. Parents may have to pick up the tab for coaching, entry to tournaments and further equipment.

By the age of 10 these outgoings, combined with the loss of earnings necessary to accompany their prodigy around the country, could set parents back by £10,000 a year.

Training in early teenage years at a specialist academy, such as the Sánchez-Casal in Barcelona where Murray honed his skills, could cost more than £34,000 a year, not to mention air fares to keep tabs on their offspring's progress. By the time a boy turns professional, typically around age 16, they could have cost more than £125,000. “Raising a Wimbledon winner is like managing a small business,” said Tom Kelman, Director of Finance at the Association of Accounting Technicians, who conducted the research.

Help is available from the Lawn Tennis Association, who offer a sliding scale of funding, up to about £6,000 a year depending on rankings plus up to £10,000 in travel grants and access to coaching and facilities. But even the LTA admits that becoming a tennis star is expensive. “It costs around £250,000 to develop a professional player from age 5 to age 18,” a spokesperson said. The costs continue to rise as players travel the globe for tournaments to amass the ranking points they need to enter events at the highest level. By the time a professional is Murray’s age, the AAT estimates that the player will be spending £612,000 annually on a travelling entourage that includes coaches and nutritionists.

Fortunately for Murray, these costs are offset not only by prize money but by highly lucrative sponsorship deals. If he becomes the first British men's singles champion at SW19 since Fred Perry in 1936, sources estimate that his career could be worth more than £80 million.