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Murray targets heavyweight coach
ESPN staff
September 21, 2010
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Andy Murray
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Andy Murray has set his sights on a big-name coach who can steer him to his first grand slam, but insists he will not be hurried into a decision.
The world No. 4 has been playing without a full-time coach since splitting with Miles Maclagan in July after reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon. He won his first title of the year in Toronto under his own steam but after a disappointing third-round exit at the US Open, Murray is on the lookout for someone who has big-game experience, either as a player or as a trainer.
Murray will continue working with Spaniard Alex Corretja on a consultancy basis, but is looking for someone for a more long-term relationship.
"I would go for a former great player or a coach who has worked with great players in the past, someone with a lot of experience at the top of the game," Murray said in The Telegraph. "A few people have offered to help me, and there are definitely a few guys I would be interested in working with. I need to find the one who could help me the most.
"It's going to take time to find the right person so I'm going to be patient. I want to get the right person, not someone who could only help me for six months. I want someone who could help me for five or six years, so I don't want to rush into a decision that might only work for a few months, and then I could stop learning and the relationship could break down.
"There are a lot of things that go into picking the right person, and it takes a bit of time to do that, and I think people don't really appreciate that."
While Murray's third-round US Open defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka was a case of another missed opportunity, his rival Rafael Nadal's victory sealed a career Grand Slam and a ninth major title. Although the world No. 1 still has some way to go to match Roger Federer's 16 grand slams, Murray believes the pair can both be considered all-time greats.
"I suppose it depends how you define greatness,'' he said. ''Rafa has achieved everything that you have to achieve in tennis. He's got Olympic gold. I know Federer has the doubles gold, but it's not the same. Rafa's got the Davis Cup. He's won every slam. I think they are, for sure, the best two ever. It depends whether you look at the longevity of someone's career. If Rafa stopped playing next year, that could change people's opinion."
Murray's hunt for his first grand slam continues, but the Scot believes that playing alongside two of the greatest players to grace a tennis court will only make his achievements even better when he finally gets his hands on a trophy.
"Obviously, it makes it harder to win when they are around, but it makes tennis a lot more fun when the best two players are around," he said. "It makes your own achievements - whatever you end up achieving - all the more respectable."
© ESPN EMEA Ltd
