Team Murray: who’s who

Published on 12/09/2012 00:44

Andy Murray made history when he became the first British man to win a Grand Slam in 76 years, beating Novak Djokovic in the US Open final. It is not all about the Scot, though, as there is a trusted team supporting him off the court. Here are the key components of ‘Team Murray’.

JUDY MURRAY

Andy’s mum Judy is a former tennis player and now a long-standing coach, and taught both Andy and brother Jamie as juniors. She is now the captain of Britain’s Fed Cup team and is regularly seen leading the encouragement for her sons from the players’ box.

WILLIE MURRAY

Andy’s dad is not as prominent as Judy, and juggles running a chain of newsagents in Scotland with following his son around the world. He was in the Team Murray box at the Wimbledon final this year but did not appear to be in the entourage who were flashed up on our screens in New York on Monday.

KIM SEARS

A firm fixture in the player’s box, Kim is Andy’s girlfriend of seven years. She is the daughter of former Lawn Tennis Association head of women’s tennis Nigel Sears, who now coaches Serbia’s world No 12 Ana Ivanovic, and was once described by Judy Murray as “the best thing to happen to Andy”.

IVAN LENDL

After a long search for a permanent coach following his split from Miles Maclagan, Murray turned to eight-time grand slam winner Lendl at the start of 2012. A cool head, Czech-born Lendl is credited with toughening Murray up and, like his player, lost his first four grand slam finals himself.

DANI VALLVERDU

A former singles player himself – if only ever reaching number 727 in the world – Venezuelan Vallverdu has known Murray since he was 14 and is part of his coaching team and acts as his regular hitting partner. They met while they were both training at the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Barcelona as juniors.

LOUISE IRVING

AND MATT GENTRY

Murray turned to XIX Entertainment – the company formed by Spice Girls svengali Simon Fuller – four years ago as his profile grew. Between them, Irving and Gentry take care of all of Murray’s PR, with Gentry acting as his main agent.

JEZ GREEN

Green is Murray’s fitness coach and widely credited for turning Murray from a skinny youngster to a bulked-up athlete. He puts Murray through a punishing fitness regime, often in the baking heat of Miami, and has him on a strict diet that can often include up to 50 pieces of sushi in one meal.

ANDY IRELAND

Physio Ireland insists Murray takes ice baths after each of his games, meaning the player can often take over an hour to arrive at his post-match press conferences. Murray has said in the past that he spends more time with Ireland than he does on court. So far, the treatment seems to be working!