Andy Murray and his mother face a High Court battle

Tennis star Andy Murray and his mother, Judy, say they will 'vigorously’ contest the action at the High Court in London.

Andy Murray's noble defeat by Roger Federer captured the hearts of the nation last weekend, but there may soon be tears in a very different arena.Mandrake can disclose that England’s No 1 faces a High Court battle after legal proceedings were filed against him and his mother, Judy Murray.

Scant details of the case are publicly available yet, but it is understood to involve an agreement that the Murrays made before the player rose through the rankings and achieved his estimated £24 million fortune.

The proceedings were filed in the Royal Courts of Justice, in the Strand, by a David Cody. “This claim appears to relate to an agreement negotiated by Andy’s then manager/agent many years ago,” says a spokesman for Andy and Judy Murray.

The identity of the litigant is not known, but there is an American tennis coach called David Cody, who worked with Jeremy Bates, a previous British No  1.

Cody, who is from Texas, also coached players including Anna Smashnova, an Israeli, who retired from the professional game after Wimbledon 2007. She reached her career-high singles ranking of world No 15 in 2003.