Judy Murray & Leon Smith Join Rebo

Former Great Britain Fed Cup captain Judy Murray and Great Britain’s current winning Davis Cup captain Leon Smith have teamed up with REBO, a company aiming to change the culture of tennis by getting more people learning and playing the game against practice walls.

Founded in 2013 by tennis coach and entrepreneur Adrian Hutchins, REBO is the first UK manufacturer of a pre-fabricated, free-standing rebound practice wall with an angled face to give a realistic ball trajectory. Ideal for non-traditional spaces and communities without tennis courts, according to the brand, the wall can be installed in hours bringing the sport directly to the public through ‘door step tennis’.

Judy discussed her passion for growing the game and opportunities at grassroots level earlier this month at the Sport Industry Breakfast Cub. Watch the highlights here. 

She is delivering two initiatives, Miss-Hits, which encourages young girls to play the sport, and Tennis on the Road, which focuses on training parents, carers, teachers and volunteers to bring the game to kids in deprived or remote areas of Scotland. As part of her partnership with REBO, Judy will use inflatable ‘Speed’ REBO walls for both initiatives and will develop her own bespoke range of REBO walls to appeal to kids she’s introducing the sport to.

“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with REBO” said Judy. “We share the same vision for growing the game by making tennis fun and taking it into areas where you might not normally find a court, a coach or a club. With a REBO wall you can play whenever, wherever you want. It’s the perfect practice partner because the ball always comes back!”

Leon Smith has also joined REBO, after he was recently awarded an OBE in the 2016 Birthday Honours for his services to tennis. Smith, who led Great Britain’s Davis Cup team to victory in 2015, will work with REBO to develop the REBO Coaching syllabus offering tips and drills for performance players to practise and improve their game against a REBO wall.

“I grew up learning to play tennis against a practice wall, spending hour after hour improving my game” said Smith. “A REBO wall is such a great way to not only learn the sport quickly, but also to practise your technique, whatever your level. You don’t need a hitting partner or even a court and the ball always comes back, making it the ultimate opponent. I truly believe every club up and down the country should have a REBO wall and I’m really excited to be working with REBO to help achieve this.”

“We are so pleased to have Judy and Leon onboard to support our mission,” said Adrian Hutchins, REBO CEO & founder. “They both already do so much for the sport at a grassroots and performance level and we’re delighted that they are as passionate as we are about changing the perception of tennis being an expensive and difficult sport that always requires a court and a partner to play. By reaching into non-traditional environments where a full-size court is impossible REBO is aiming to change that perception.”