Andy Murray’s grandfather Roy Erskine has died at the age of 94, with tributes pouring in for the former footballer who also excelled at tennis.
Both Stirling Albion and Cowdenbeath have issued statements mourning the loss of the “popular Dunblane figure”.
Mr Erskine – the father of Judy Murray – played for both clubs throughout the 1950s.
He signed for Albion in 1954 before transferring to Cowdenbeath in 1956, and also featured for Hibernian, Peebles Rovers and Troon.
Much like his wife Shirley, whom he married in 1957, Mr Erskine was also a skilled tennis player.
During his youth he progressed to the semi-finals of the Scottish Boys’ Tennis Championships, and maintained his involvement in tennis after hanging up his football boots when he embarked on a career as an optician, reports the Mirror.
In their tribute, Stirling Albion stated: “Everyone at Stirling Albion was saddened to learn of the passing of former player, Roy Erskine, on the 19th of January 2026.”
The statement continued: “In recent years, Roy had been a regular with his daughter Judy at club hospitality where he enjoyed speaking with supporters and chatting about his time at the club. He was particularly pleased to help celebrate the club’s League 2 championship win in 2022-23.
“A well-known and popular figure in Dunblane where he spent many years as an optician, he will be sorely missed.”
Cowdenbeath confirmed everyone at the club was “deeply sorry and saddened” upon learning of Mr Erskine’s passing.
The tribute noted that after hanging up his football boots, Mr Erskine turned his focus to tennis, where he competed at county level.
It went on to say: “But of course maybe Roy (and Shirley’s) greatest contribution to tennis in this country is the genes they passed on to Judy, Jamie and Andy.
“And maybe a little bit of tuition over the years – indeed Roy was wont to claim he was the man who invented topspin in tennis.”
