Wimbledon: Andy Murray in the zone

THE main task for a tennis coach is to prepare their charge for action, which is why the last 24 hours could prove as crucial as the ones Andy Murray spends on court this afternoon against Roger Federer, beneath the steely gaze of Ivan Lendl.

Asked yesterday whether he will change the habit of a lifetime and become emotional if Murray wins, the Czech answered, in his own inimitable style: “Come along and find out”. Man of few words though he is, this short sentence conveyed a certain confidence, and he did at least crack a few smiles as he worked with Murray on Court 15 at Aoranghi Park, before the rain sent the group, including hitting partner Ollie Golding, scurrying for cover.

Before he left, Lendl did say that they had a plan to thwart Federer’s bid to win a seventh Wimbledon crown. “We have worked on certain things and we’ll continue to work on them, but we never like to discuss specifics,” he said, unsurprisingly keeping his cards close to his chest.

Mats Wilander, the former world No.1, yesterday expressed the hope that Lendl does not leave Murray’s side until the moment the Scot walks on court for today’s final. This comment highlights the intense relationship that needs to form between a coach and his charge, something Brad Gilbert, who worked with Murray for just over a year, knows all about.

Gilbert, pictured above, took shelter from the rain yesterday and turned his thoughts to someone whose fortunes once occupied every moment of his waking life.

So intense was the relationship he shared with Murray, there is perhaps little surprise that it ended on a sour note, with the Scot severing the professional ties between him and his then coach five years ago. Murray recalled spending morning, noon and night in Gilbert’s company, not always happily.

There are, then, few people who know Murray better than the garrulous American, who, despite having been sacked by him, will be willing the Scot on today against Federer. Although he hasn’t spoken with him so far during this Wimbledon, Gilbert, who now works as a tennis analyst with ESPN, planned to search him out yesterday, after speaking to Scotland on Sunday as the rain splashed down on SW19.

“I spoke to Dani [Vallverdu, assistant coach to Lendl], but I haven’t seen him [Murray] this tournament,” said Gilbert. He has, however, seen enough of the Scot to believe he is “in a good place”. Not that he was prepared to stick his neck out and predict the outcome of today’s match until he sees what conditions are like, and whether the roof is required. “It changes elements of the match,” he said. He will, though, wish the Scot well.

“I have seen his brother Jamie, seen his mum,” said Gilbert. “Normally he [Murray] comes in to the the ESPN studio, but I have not seen him yet this tournament. But I will seek him out today and wish him good luck.”

Gilbert knows how it is in the cut-and-thrust world of top-class tennis.

He harbours no ill-feeling. “I definitely would love to see Andy win,” he insisted. “He has done all the work. He is a great young man. And you know, he wants to win for himself. And I think that is really important. I love what I am seeing from him just now, I am rooting for him.

“It’s important to win for yourself, and then it is going to be great for everyone else,” he added. “But it is important that you do it for yourself. He is very focused, and he is in a great place.”

According to both Gilbert and Mark Petchey, who coached the Scot for ten months, Lendl could hold the key as Murray steps out today to wrestle with both Britain’s wretched tennis history and his own dismal record in grand slam finals.

Petchey, under whom Murray won his first ATP title in 2006, yesterday said he had been “impressed with his calmness in big situations here”, something he attributed to Lendl’s influence. “He has played absolutely the right tennis here, and he has the perfect platform to continue to do that in the final, if Roger allows him,” he said, before warning of the risk that Federer might dictate the pace of the match, to Murray’s disadvantage.

“Roger can take time away from you even if you are a great player,” Petchey added. “That’s something Andy has to try and combat, with the roof probably on. That’s another factor that you could probably argue might help both players. Andy is a great player indoors as well as Roger. There are a few variables out there, the result of which nobody is going to know until about 6pm tomorrow night. Obviously Roger starts favourite, but another of the unknown quantities going into the final is how will Andy handle the biggest occasion of his tennis life in an emotional sense. Roger has won this tournament six times, and has nothing left to prove. He obviously wants to win another major and everything else. That’s why you have to install Roger as favourite, but can Andy win it? Absolutely.”

Petchey is not surprised to observe Murray downplaying the significance of reaching the final. The Scot has determined that only winning it now matters. “That’s what he has dedicated his life to,” he said. “I am surprised that anybody would think he would feel any differently having watched his career. It is Andy’s sole objective in life, to win a major tennis tournament. That is what it is all about.

“He won’t be happy obviously just to reach the final,” Petchey continued. “He wants to have his hand on that cup. And he is going to have to play probably the best tennis of his life to do that, against arguably the best tennis player of all-time. It does not get much tougher and it does not get much bigger as an occasion for all of us.”

When Gilbert parted company with Murray in 2007 the Scot had just broken into the top ten. He had, however, yet to make it to a grand slam final, with his first appearance coming at the US Open the following year.

At Flushing Meadows in 2008 began a depressing sequence which has seen him beaten in straight sets in each grand slam final he has played. Gilbert, now giving the United States player Sam Querrey coaching advice, believes Murray has his eyes trained on reaching the magic total of 21 winning sets at this year’s Wimbledon. Should he do so, it means the Wimbledon title is his.

“Winning 18 sets is not the accomplishment, it’s winning 21,” stressed Gilbert. “He has won 18 sets but it’s about winning 21 sets, not just winning a set in a final. When he has been up against it all tournament, he has had a lot of resolve, and that’s been the best thing. I am sure Ivan has his strategy planned all around winning 21 sets, not 18.”

Wilander, too, has warned of the danger of Murray setting his sights on simply winning a first set in a grand slam final. Asked yesterday whether three previous straight-sets defeats, two of which have been administered by Federer, would be a factor, he replied: “It shouldn’t be if Ivan Lendl has done his job properly.” Wilander, quoted on thetennisspace.com, added that Murray “ought to have Lendl with him from now until the match on Sunday”, because “it’s more than likely that there’s a thought in Murray’s head: ‘I need to win a set’. If he goes into the match thinking that he needs to win the set, he’s never going to win the match. This is when Lendl is valuable.”

As a former coach to Murray, Petchey, now a BBC commentator, will look on as keenly as anyone today, as, too, will Gilbert. Up in the Team Murray box, Lendl might even remove his sun-glasses and let a smile crease his face. But they all know it comes down to one person in the end. “It’s about what happens on Centre Court tomorrow,” said Petchey. “It’s obviously nice to have been part of the story, and a successful part of it. But tomorrow is about the destination, the rest of it was the journey.”