All parents insist they love their children equally – but many mothers secretly have their favourites, and Judy Murray may have apparently let hers slip in a light-hearted tweet.
For years she has sworn that there were no favourites when it came to her sons – Grand Slam champion Andy and his lesser-known brother, doubles player Jamie.
But she inadvertently slipped up in a tweet declaring that Andy was in fact her ‘special one’.
The tennis coach was undone as she shared a picture of her youngest son with former Chelsea boss and fan Jose Mourinho.
Posting an image of the two men post-match the 57-year-old wrote: ‘The Special One with My Special One’.
Unfortunately, her other son, Jamie, was one of the first to see it and chided his mother for her favouritism. ‘Thank you mum,’ he said back in a tweet shortly afterwards.
Realising her blunder the mother-of-two tried to salvage the situation by calling the 34-year-old ‘My Extra Special One xx.’
Playful sibling squabbling between the two soon ensued over the social networking site to the amusement of their fans.
Andy, who joked about always being the ‘number two son’ during the Grand Slam recently, was quick to chime in with a dig at his older brother.
The husband of Kim Sears, wrote: ‘We all know you are number 1 son noobs… Best presents at Christmas, bigger bedroom, blame everything on me etc.’
But his older brother was not to be undone, with Jamie quickly pointing out: ‘Times have changed… Now your bedroom is bigger than my apartment and I’m no longer the favourite son…’
Meanwhile their mother stepped in support of Jamie, and reminded Andy: ‘You got the hamster and the goldfish though… and the close encounter with the snake’
During Wimbledon recently, Andy had moaned that his family had snubbed him in favour of his older brother.
On 27 Jun 2014, after his straight set victory against Roberto Bautista Agut which saw him enter the last 16, he complained that his mother had opted to watch Jamie who was playing a doubles match at the same time.
Apparently joking, he said: ‘It’s a shame. We were on at the same time. None of my family came to watch me, so I’m always the number two son.’
When told that his mother Judy had actually made it back for the end of his match he added: ‘Yeah, but my brother is the priority. He’s number one son, so he’s always had the preference. That’s why I’m so competitive since I’ve been a kid.’
However, he eventually added: ‘But yeah, it’s good that we both won.’
Times have changed… Now your bedroom is bigger than my apartment and I’m no longer the favourite son…
Experts who have seen his development from a young age have noted that Andy’s fierce rivalry with his elder brother was a key factor in the extraordinary drive he possesses.
