It seems like the biggest off court question at the moment in tennis is who will be Andy Murray’s new coach. The reigning Wimbledon champion has been sans coach since March when Ivan Lendl decided to call it quits.
He had achieved what he was brought on to do; to help Murray achieve Grand Slam winning status and he was also missing having to cut back on other things he enjoyed doing. Ivan likes playing some of the seniors events (I’ve told him its dead men’s tennis), he has his tennis academy to oversee, he did not want to travel as much as he was doing and most of all he missed spending as much time as possible with his family … as well as playing his golf.
The decision by Lendl rocked Murray. He was shaken up for a few weeks but no sooner had the word got out that he was without a coach the hot topic was who would replace Ivan Lendl.
I should just say, while there is certainly a passing interest in who will be his next coach, it really is the British media who have all but become obsessed with the subject. Never before can I remember anyway, has there been that much heavy interest in who will be a player’s coach. When the Brit’s last top star, Tim Henman, changed coaches such passion to find out who it would be was never the case.
Murray has been coy about it all and that has just added fuel to the fire and the whole thing has become rather amusing from afar. Murray even played an April Day Fool’s joke on them by baiting the British media that on 1st April he would announce his new coach.
The British tennis media repeated Queen Victoria’s immortal line: “We are not amused!” Maybe so, but everyone else was.
It has been a bit of a game for Andy as name after name has been bandied about. Would you chose a woman coach? “Why not?” he said. “I will pick whoever I think is the best person for me.”
Leon Smith the British Davis Cup captain, him mum Judy, Martina Navratilova, Bob Brett, Amelie Mauresmo, Darren Cahill, John McEnroe and Roger Rasheed as hair-raising as that sounds because he is already working with Grigor Dimitrov, have all been thrown into the mix.
This is what he said in a media conference at Roland Garros.
“To be honest, ever since I stopped working with Ivan, there has been a lot of different names that people have mentioned,” said Murray. “Obviously Amélie this week. There was Wilander. There has been Bjorkman, John McEnroe, Navratilova, Leon Smith, who is the Davis Cup captain, Bob Brett. There has been a lot of people that people have talked about.
Q. And some was rumored to be your next coach, is one good or some names not all good ones?
ANDY MURRAY: No, they are all very, very good. Some ex players, some very good coaches, as well. It's not like any of them have been bad names. I like all of the people that have been mentioned. I have a good relationship with most of them, as well. Some of them I don't even know, really. So, yeah, no bad names there.
Q. None of these names are the next coaches for you? That's all rumors?
ANDY MURRAY: Not that I'm aware of, no.
Having spoken to a few people, Andy Murray’s new coach will be revealed here on wearetennis.bnpparibas . We have the exclusive and the person who will fill the role is most definitely not one of the usual suspects. Whether he will be acting in the capacity for the interim or go on longer remains to be seen but he and Andy already know each other well. The new person communicates well and is a negotiator which you have to be in such a role.
We will reveal who will be Murray’s new coach in the next day or two. Stay tuned.
