Murray now his own master

Published on Sunday 18 November 2007 00:52

THE relationship between player and coach is like a marriage, and as the old gag goes, marriage is an honourable institution, but who wants to live in an institution? Clearly, not Andy Murray.

For the second time in two years, Scotland's finest has parted company with a coach who had seemed, at first, perfectly suited to his needs. Mark Petchey suddenly found himself out of a job in the first instance, and on Wednesday Murray made the announcement that he and Brad Gilbert were no longer working together. As with so many hastily-arranged marriages, the initial excitement had worn off, and the grim reality of living day in, day out with the wrong partner was proving too much.

When Gilbert and Murray joined forces, few outsiders thought it would last. Murray is an extremely personable young man, but he is very intense, especially when it comes to his career. He thinks long and deeply about every decision, and needs to know the whys and wherefores of every situation. Gilbert is an American sports junkie, who describes himself as "a Jewish red-neck". And he never stops talking.

The only player who has managed to stick with Gilbert for any length of time is Andre Agassi, but when he turned to the motor-mouthed man in black, Agassi was 24 years old, had been on the tour for more than seven years, had won 20 titles including Wimbledon, and had reached two French Open finals. In short, he was a seasoned and mature professional. Even so, Agassi was the first to admit that he had a "Brad filter", an in-built device that allowed him to ignore the Gilbert chatter, and just pick up on the important nuggets of information.

Murray, by contrast, was 19 when he first got to know Gilbert. He was playing his second year on the circuit, and though he had won a tournament title, he was still feeling his way on the tour. At first Gilbert was a novelty, a fascinating example of the all-American way of sport, but Murray soon began to realise that there was more to a coach-player relationship than that. Indeed, his first three seasons on the road have taught the Scot that he is not really cut out for such a marriage, no matter who the coach happens to be.

"I'm the sort of guy who likes a lot of people around me," Murray said weeks before the split. "Sometimes when it's just one-on-one with the coach, it can get quite stressful, and a little bit stale. It's just much more fun travelling around the world with other people, because it can get quite lonely sometimes.

"To have a lot of people around you just makes you feel a little bit more at home, or a little bit more comfortable, when you're away."

It had been clear since early summer that all was not well between Murray and Gilbert. The Scot was obviously concerned about his wrist injury, and knew deep down that he would not be able to play at Wimbledon. Gilbert, not the most patient of souls, just wanted Murray to get back on court to see what would happen, even if it meant injuring the wrist again.

For a coach who is regarded as the best at scouting out the opposition's weaknesses, he is not particularly sensitive to the frailties and fears of his charges. After the long saga of will-he-won't-he-play? at Wimbledon, relations between Murray and Gilbert were never the same again.

The sense of relief will be twofold for Murray. Firstly, he has extricated himself from a situation that was making him miserable; secondly, he is no longer beholden to the Lawn Tennis Association. The LTA pay Gilbert's salary, reported to be 750,000 a year, and it is up to them to sort out what they will do with their highly-paid but now under-used employee. Murray is free to do whatever he wants, however he wants. He will pay the bills, and he will call the shots.

Murray has many options open to him. He could look for another full-time coach - Darren Cahill, Agassi's former guide who is the Australian Davis Cup team coach, has been mentioned - but it seems unlikely that he will be willing to tie himself down to another individual at the moment.

The more obvious choice would be a team of people that Murray likes and trusts, to travel with him when he needs their help. Leon Smith, his mentor from junior days, went to the Madrid Masters with him last month, and filled in during the French Open last year when Murray was between coaches. Smith knows Murray's game and his personality, and they are great friends. "He knows what I like, what I don't like, when to say something, when not to say something," Murray observed.

As the head coach of men's tennis at the LTA, Paul Annacone will always be on hand to offer help and advice. The former coach to Pete Sampras and Tim Henman has signed a new three-year contract with the association, and will now spend 75% of his year working with British players.

But most important of all will be to have mother Judy and brother Jamie around at selected tournaments. When they or his girlfriend, Kim Sears, or best friend Carlos are on the scene, Murray is relaxed and happy. And when he is fit and happy, Murray has the beating of anyone.