Where now? Andy Murray has to find a new mentor after dispensing of the services of Miles Maclagan. Pic: ©SNS Group
Nobody should have been especially surprised by the news that Andy Murray has parted company with his coach Miles Maclagan, as the 23 year-old Scot gears up for his challenge at the US Open in New York. This is a crucial period in the Dunblane man’s career, one which will probably determine whether he is destined to be remembered as a very good player or a great one, capable of winning Grand Slam tournaments.
If Murray is to achieve the latter objective, it is more likely to happen when he is working with a mentor who can instil qualities in his game which were alien to Maclagan’s methodology. Those include developing a more ruthless mentality on the big points and being prepared to risk losing the percentages if he can strike when it really matters.
In some respects, the relationship between these two redoubtable characters was a game of two halves. Murray was only ranked 11th in the world when he joined forces with Maclagan at the end of 2007, and it’s impossible to quibble with the significant improvements which happened in the next two years.
In that time, the British number one climbed as high as second in the global standings, whilst reaching his first Grand Slam final at Flushing Meadows in 2008, where he eventually lost to Roger Federer. But not before he had disposed off Rafael Nadal in the previous round and demonstrated that talk of him becoming king of the world was not just rose-tinted Blighty jingoism.
However, the past 12 months have brought a stern reality check for Murray. He looked capable of making the major breakthrough at the beginning of 2010 in Australia, but once again fell victim to Federer in the final and that experience clearly inflicted psychological damage on the Scot. His form thereafter has been patchy at best, wretched at worst, and although the Cliff Richard aficionados, who flock to Wimbledon every summer for their annual flirtation with tennis, were satisfied with Murray’s performances in SW19, the man himself recognised that he couldn’t have received a much kinder draw.
The comprehensive manner of his semi-final defeat to Nadal signalled that he required new weapons in his armoury. For much of Maclagan’s tenure, it has seemed sufficient for his charge to hang on in rallies, keep the ball in play, and wait for opponents to commit mistakes. At first, that strategy reaped dividends but lately it has grown obvious that Murray will not defeat his leading rivals on any kind of regular basis by being overly defensive-minded and the fact is that is he is at a pivotal stage in his development.
Some observers, including John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, believe it is only a matter of time before he secures that elusive Grand Slam prize. But the clock is ticking, other younger competitors, such as Marin Colic and Juan Martin Del Potro are chasing the same goals – and the latter already has one Slam title in his locker – and one suspects that life is only going to get tougher for the leading luminaries in the sport in the next two years.
In which light, it makes sense for Murray to search for a new coach. For the moment, he is sticking with Spaniard Alex Corretja – who reached a brace of Grand Slam finals in his own career – and is not tinkering with his support team, which means that strength and conditioning coach, Jez Green and physio, Andy Ireland, will remain in situ.
MURRAY'S NEXT MOVE
Murray will prepare for the US Open by taking part in the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the Cincinnati Masters. It is a punishing schedule, but he has never been afraid of hard work, and he has forged a bond with Corretja, which means that the two men trust each other implicitly and realise that changes were necessary.
Ultimately, the imminent tournament at Flushing Meadows should offer Murray his best chance of challenging for the title. He loves the in-your-face atmosphere of the venue and the fashion in which the supporters cheer on their favourites as though they were at a boxing bout, and the courts suit Murray’s style of play.
He appreciates that Federer is no longer quite the force he was, while Del Potro is in the process of returning from long-term injury and that Novak Djokovic is eminently beatable at the moment. In short, only Nadal – in prime form and fitness just now – is performing at a noticeably higher level than the others this year and Murray has already beaten the Spaniard in New York.
All of which underpins the decision to dispense with Maclagan’s services and do so immediately. It isn’t really a gamble, nor have the couple fallen out. On the contrary, this has everything to do with results and the reality is that Murray hasn’t won a tournament this year.
He could do worse than end that sequence in Los Angeles over the next week. He could also do worse than check on whether McEnroe is available for some impromptu coaching and motivational sessions, because Murray has most of the weapons he requires to reign in the States. The one lurking question is: does he really believe it? And when it comes to oozing conviction and positivity, Supermac’s input would be invaluable.
