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  1. Exclusive Interview with Amelie Mauresmo

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    By Mark Ryan

    EXCLUSIVE interview with Amelie Mauresmo, Andy Murray’s new coach: Learning is tough; you must manage yourself better than your opponent.

    Want did Amelia Mauresmo think of Andy Murray’s Wimbledon campaign last year?  You might be surprised!

    We caught up with her on the eve of Murray’s Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic last summer, just after fellow French star Marion Bartoli had reduced Sabine Lisicki to tears by taking the women’s title.

    Amelie was already talking like a coach, and maybe Andy saw that quality in her too.

    Mauresmo used to cut an intimidating figure on the tennis court at times. But the Amelie we encountered was kind, compassionate and honest.   You’ll like her. We can see why Andy does too.

    This interview has never been published before.

    First, she talked about Bartoli and the value of experience.
    Amelie began: ”Being in the final before made a difference. I think experience played a part. She was able to manage herself better than Sabine, produce a better game.
    “Sabine was beating all the top players but the final is a different match. It’s very different.
    “For Sabine it’s tough. But she is learning. And sometimes learning is tough. It is hard right now, it was hard on the court, but for sure she will learn from this. And I hope she will improve from that.”

    Here comes Mauresmo’s verdict on Murray v Djokovic. Who would win? Her heart said Murray…but her head clearly said Djokovic!

    She explained: “It’s tough. I think I’ve been impressed by Novak the whole tournament, to be honest. Against Juan Martin Del Potro he was unbelievable, it was amazing.
    “I’d like to see Novak’s stretching routine, his flexibility has been helping him big-time, he has been doing huge work on it for a long time.
    “I think Andy has been a little bit up and down in this tournament, to be honest. But maybe it’s his turn, his time, his moment. For his sake, I hope so.”

    There you have it. Amelie was more impressed by Djokovic than Murray last Wimbledon, even though the Brit took the final as we all know.

    Andy Murray in 2014

    Andy Murray hasn’t been managing himself too well this year. He certainly didn’t manage himself better than Rafa Nadal when they met at the French Open.
    What can Mauresmo bring to Murray’s Wimbledon campaign? She will bring calm, she will bring consistency, and she will help him to manage his own head. He needs that right now.
    Amelie Mauresmo transmits a sense of peace, of confidence. She is not afraid to tell the truth, though – even though the truth sometimes hurts. Murray will trust her more for her honesty.
    Andy will feel secure in her safe pair of hands. Yet he won’t be given an easy ride.

    As Mauresmo points out, learning is tough. And right now Murray has much to learn, especially when it comes to psychological warfare.  e is currently losing the mind games when it matters.
    He needs to start winning the most important battle of all – against his own self-doubt.

    It is a battle Mauresmo had to win in her own career. She overcame her own feelings of negativity…and now there isn’t a trace of self-doubt left.  Murray is buying into someone who has been there, someone he feels already understands him. He thinks she can add to him.

    When you meet the self-assured and very charming Amelie Mauresmo, it is easy to see why that might well be the case.

  2. Marathon Man Murray Holds His Nerve in Paris

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    Murray Wins in Paris!

    After four hours and seven minutes, Andy Murray pinged a sizzling backhand deep past Philipp Kohlschreiber and crouched down on the clay to let out a triumphant yell.  He had finally sealed a precious win by 12-10 in the fifth. The match had lasted almost as long as the Brit had been able to sleep overnight.

    Murray managed a smile after reaching the last sixteen, though. He could afford to grin, having overcome his nerves in unfamiliar territory.

    Andy admitted; ‘Last night was extremely tough, I was up a break in every set but we went in 7-7.  Both of us came out pretty nervous but it was outstanding.  I didn’t sleep much. I was ready to play at four or five in the morning (Sunday). I only slept five hours.  It was a new experience for me, having a match stopped overnight in such a big tournament.  But I was cramping in my hamstring and quad so maybe it is just as well that they stopped it.’

    The marathon had straddled two days and Murray must work on his first serve as a matter of priority.

    It doesn’t matter what surface you’re playing on, you won’t dominate a top player by trying to survive on your second serve alone.  Andy’s new coach, whoever he or she may be, will have to address that growing problem  as swiftly as possible between the French Open and Wimbledon.

    Kohlschreiber, world number 28,  took the first set 6-3. Murray seized the next two by the same score, then the German hit back to win the fourth 6-4.  Play had been suspended on Saturday night at a tantalising 7-7 in the fifth.  Murray squandered a match point at 9-8 and almost habitually wasted that wayward first serve. Some hit the net, others flew so deep that they almost bounced out of court.

    But the Wimbledon champion came up with two extraordinary shots to keep his hopes alive.  A drive-volley from near the baseline was as courageous as it was brillant. Even better was a wrap-around cross-court forehand which seemed  impossible and left Kohlschreiber shaking his head in disbelief.

    The underdog was hitting the ball more cleanly for much of Sunday, yet Murray managed to hang in there for long enough to make his opponent crumble at the final hurdle.

    Murray faces Fernando Verdasco in the next round. He will have to raise his game considerably in order to prevail. But a decent run at Roland Garros will at least boost his confidence in time for Wimbledon.

    Meanwhile in the women’s tournament,

    Eugenie Bouchard produced a scintillating display to announce herself as a genuine contender for French Open glory.

    The 20-year-old Canadian destroyed the higher-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-1, 6-2 with a wonderful combination of confidence and technique.

    Maria Sharapova, the biggest name left in the draw, will take note going into the second week.

    Want to see more dramatic marathons and crazy upsets at Wimbledon later this month, all from the best seats in the house?  Just click on the following link and enter the magic world of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, with tickets for Wimbledon’s best facilities guaranteed by our super service….

    Mark Ryan

  3. Murray Tames the “Mad Dog”

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    Andy Murray made quick work of taming Marinko “Mad Dog” Matosevic at Roland Garros this afternoon.

    Despite clutching what appeared to be a tight hamstring at times. Murray maintained his free-flowing superiority to finish off the erratic Australian in simple, straight sets.
    Now the improving Andy will face Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round of the French Open on Saturday. The German beat Murray on clay four years ago in Monaco. But the Scot has come up a few levels since then.  The Wimbledon champion will feel confident of progressing further still. Though he knows the number 28 will provide a more searching test.

    Matosevic, famous for his theatrical on-court fireworks and multiple body-rolls, seemed to lose heart the more Murray seized control.  The match simply wasn’t close enough to provoke any histrionics from “Mad Dog” the underdog.  Although the Brit’s first serve was wayward in the opening set. That deficiency didn’t seem to matter as he took it 6-3.  Murray’s accuracy improved in the second set. He went on all-out attack and made just five unforced errors on the way to a 6-1 romp.  The final set was never in any doubt, even after Andy was broken when he was serving for the match at 5-2.  A spectacular break-back clinched it at 6-3, though the victory hardly sent out a chilling warning to the likes of Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

    So far there seems to be more drama surrounding Murray’s choice of coach than his matches.

    Suggestions that Amelie Mauresmo might be Murray’s shock coaching choice have been laughed out of court by experts such as the former British favourite, Greg Rusedski.  An even more illustrious female tennis legend, Martina Navratilova admitted she would be interested in the role if asked, while Murray himself has joked that ‘no one wants to coach me.’

    The true successor to Ivan Lendl will be revealed after Roland Garros, where Andy has been able to preserve plenty of energy for the latter stages.  

    However, with no pressure on Murray’s shoulders in France, he might just gain some much-needed confidence going into Wimbledon.  He is gaining some momentum – and not before time.

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  4. Best Coach-Player Combo Of All Time?

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    What is The Best Coach/player combination of all time? It’s a hard one to judge. Is it someone who pushes you to the extremes, both physically and mentally? A person who is there to love and pick you up after a fall? The ability to squeeze the last drop of sweat from you on the court?Is it something you can measure in titles?

    Brad Gilbert and Andre Agassi

    Remember, Agassi was the showman who for years couldn’t quite become great. But with Gilbert he landed six Grand Slam titles, including the 1999 French Open, when a rain-break allowed Agassi to take on board Gilbert’s advice and overturn a two-set disadvantage. ‘Brad Gilbert is the greatest coach of all time,’ Agassi claims.

    Lennart Bergelin and Bjorn Borg

    Further back in time, Lennart Bergelin took charge of a young Bjorn Borg in 1971. Borg already had the basic components to his game, put together previously with Percy Rosberg. But what Bjorn also had was a suspect temperament. The adolescent Swede would let himself down with tantrums – and looked so fiery that some thought he might burn himself out ridiculously early.
    Under Bergelin’s careful guidance, Borg learned to control himself. He became the ice man of tennis and won five Wimbledon titles in a row, eleven majors in all. They stayed together twelve years, one of the very greatest player-coachpartnerships of all time, only ending in 1983.
    And that was the year another partnership was born. Martina Navratilova was already number one when she asked Mike Estep to coach her.

    Martina Navratilova and Mike Estep

    ‘Why do you want me to do it?’ he asked.
    ‘I want to win a Grand Slam and become the greatest player who ever lived,’ she replied.

    He taught her to attack the net. He trained her like a man – and 250 push-ups became part of her daily routine. In their three years together, Navratilova won ten majors and did indeed write her name in history.

    So which player-coach combo is your favourite? There will be many not even mentioned here. That’s the beauty of it. Hard to measure. Hard to define. But a fascinating backdrop to our beautiful game.
    Want to watch the Wimbledon stars with a view as good as thecoaches get? Click on the following link to get your tickets today….