Find a Coach for Andy

[TennisFanatic7]

I'm not sure how it will go but ultimately the problems are for Andy to sort out. He can't rely on having Lendl or a similar replacement to sort out his head for him if he wants to maximise success for the remainder of his career.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

BBC are reporting that Andy is sticking with Amelie...

So was tennis.com

uzzled

Grass season is over. Heck, the men's Rogers Cup isn't even being played in Montreal! We'll see if he can comport himself better on cement than he did on turf.

I think hiring AM was a huge mistake on Andy's part. She neither has experience as a
coach nor has stellar record as a player.

Having said that, I would not blame her for Andy's results at Queens or Wimby.

p.s. Feminists can keep out; although I think AM is a bad choice for Andy, I don't
think it is because she is a woman.

 

[DarthFed]

BBC are reporting that Andy is sticking with Amelie...

So was tennis.com

uzzled

Grass season is over. Heck, the men's Rogers Cup isn't even being played in Montreal! We'll see if he can comport himself better on cement than he did on turf.

I think hiring AM was a huge mistake on Andy's part. She neither has experience as a
coach nor has stellar record as a player.

Having said that, I would not blame her for Andy's results at Queens or Wimby.

p.s. Feminists can keep out; although I think AM is a bad choice for Andy, I don't
think it is because she is a woman.

That's the tightrope I tried to walk before Wimbledon. Saying that it isn't a good idea for him to have a female coach since the game is way different on the WTA level both mentally and physically. And he didn't exactly hire the toughest dame out there either and that's the biggest problem. If he is going to go with a WTA player it should be someone more accomplished and mentally tougher than Mauresmo.

 

[TennisFanatic7]

It certainly was a strange decision but Andy must see something in her that he thinks can help him. I'm not yet convinced that she was the wrong choice, but also not convinced that she is the right one, for obvious reasons.

Strange appointment and sadly, I won't be surprised if the partnership doesn't do much for him, but it's far too early to draw conclusions.

I still think his biggest problems are mental at the moment, and I think not being Wimbledon champion anymore should help in a way, as he now has less to live up to and less to lose, but as I said, it's up to Andy to sort his head out without relying on a Lendl mk II to do it for him.

 

[Kieran]

I still think his biggest problems are mental at the moment, and I think not being Wimbledon champion anymore should help in a way, as he now has less to live up to and less to lose, but as I said, it's up to Andy to sort his head out without relying on a Lendl mk II to do it for him.

That bolded bit can work both ways: Andy is a bit of a moper. He may get despondent as much as spurred on by losing his title, especially the way he lost it (handed it over).

And I'm not sure his only problem is mental. I keep believing I see his movement limited by back pain, and I'm not convinced he's 100% fit after the op. Certainly, it's not so bad as to keep him from playing, but sometimes I suspect that all is not as it should be. By the way, before fastgrass leaps in here complaining, I'm not a Murray fan and so I'm not making excuses. I don't think his back is hindering him, or causing him to lose matches, but I also don't think it's the way it was before the op...

 

[DarthFed]

I don't see losing the Wimbledon title as helping him in any way. Winning the big gold medal seemed to ignite the big run where he won USO and Wimbledon and made AO finals. He now enters USO at the biggest low he's been in since he became relevant in 2008. Maybe he will fly under the radar a bit but at the same time his confidence has to be really bad right now.

This USO and next AO are huge for him I'd say. He has to show something there otherwise you have to wonder if he will ever get it back and having upcoming guys like Dimitrov will only make it tougher.

 

[TennisFanatic7]

I still think his biggest problems are mental at the moment, and I think not being Wimbledon champion anymore should help in a way, as he now has less to live up to and less to lose, but as I said, it's up to Andy to sort his head out without relying on a Lendl mk II to do it for him.

That bolded bit can work both ways: Andy is a bit of a moper. He may get despondent as much as spurred on by losing his title, especially the way he lost it (handed it over).

And I'm not sure his only problem is mental. I keep believing I see his movement limited by back pain, and I'm not convinced he's 100% fit after the op. Certainly, it's not so bad as to keep him from playing, but sometimes I suspect that all is not as it should be. By the way, before fastgrass leaps in here wearing a towel instead of a cape, and underpants about 2 sizes too small over his mothers pair of red tights, I'm not a Murray fan and so I'm not making excuses. I don't think his back is hindering him, or causing him to lose matches, but I also don't think it's the way it was before the op...

Don't you think we'd know about it if he still had back trouble, given all his limping and wincing after losing points that his detractors love to talk about? He isn't particularly known to keep injuries to himself like Federer does either.

It is a tricky situation to read, though it does make for good discussion.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

its as if someone has let the air out of his career.

since 2005 I always thought his career/level was going uphill virtually all the time..then he wins 2 majors finally and Olympic gold and then the motivation/desire left him.

since winning Wimbledon he has looked ordinary on the whole..i'm beginning to think maybe he's in decline for good..next 3 tourneys are vital. if he flops here, maybe the glory days are over.

 

[Moxie]

BBC are reporting that Andy is sticking with Amelie...

So was tennis.com

uzzled

Grass season is over. Heck, the men's Rogers Cup isn't even being played in Montreal! We'll see if he can comport himself better on cement than he did on turf.

I think hiring AM was a huge mistake on Andy's part. She neither has experience as a
coach nor has stellar record as a player.

Having said that, I would not blame her for Andy's results at Queens or Wimby.

p.s. Feminists can keep out; although I think AM is a bad choice for Andy, I don't
think it is because she is a woman.

Mauresmo has been Fed Cup coach for France, so I'm guessing that counts as experience. And she has 2 Major wins, which he has, and in most quarters that is esteemed as an admirable career. You may not deem her as a poor choice merely because she's a woman, but I think others on this thread do. (Kieran? nehmeth?) But who else should he have? We all bemoan the loss of Lendl, who seemed a perfect fit. But who next? You can say the "feminists" should keep out, but you may just be unwilling to a woman's opinion, then. Is it 'feminist' to say give Amelie a chance? Would Marat Safin be a better coach? He also had 2 Majors to his credit. Speaking of Safin, what's Peter Lundgren doing these days, and how come he's not coaching Andy Murray? Working with Huntuchova, I see. Too bad. He had been working with Wawrinka, too. I say give Amelie a chance. It's Andy that needs to trust her…not the rest of us.

 

[nehmeth]

I say give Amelie a chance. It's Andy that needs to trust her…not the rest of us.

We don't have to give her a chance, Andy's the one who's chosen to do that. She could be a Becker or she could be a Martin for Andy's career. Whether it's a boon or a bust remains to be seen. And we will wait and see, as we continue to opine.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Paul Annacone and Sloane Stephens recently "mutually" decided to stop the coaching
agreement between them. So, Paul is available right now. He may be a good choice for
Andy.

However, Andy has now announced he is continuing with AM and so Paul will find
another arrangement soon and may not be available at the end of year when Andy
may be looking again.

I think Andy rushed to a decision too soon, despite repeatedly telling that he
will not rush. I think it would have been better for him to remain coachless the
rest of this year (not now, it is too late for that) and think about the coach
decision more carefully.

 

[Moxie]

Paul Annacone and Sloane Stephens recently "mutually" decided to stop the coaching
agreement between them. So, Paul is available right now. He may be a good choice for
Andy.

However, Andy has now announced he is continuing with AM and so Paul will find
another arrangement soon and may not be available at the end of year when Andy
may be looking again.

I think Andy rushed to a decision too soon, despite repeatedly telling that he
will not rush. I think it would have been better for him to remain coachless the
rest of this year (not now, it is too late for that) and think about the coach
decision more carefully.

AM and AM are not that committed. If Annacone is free and Murray wants to seek him out, he will.

Murray didn't "rush to" any decision. He needed a coach, and they went for the short term deal. Hey, even Todd Martin didn't ruin Djokovic's career. I doubt Amelie can do worse. He's looking for an ear, and she is one. Whether she's the right one remains to be seen.

 

[Kieran]

You may not deem her as a poor choice merely because she's a woman, but I think others on this thread do. (Kieran? nehmeth?)

Now, it's not of often that we disagree, but sometimes it happens, and I'm gonna have to cry foul here. :nono

It's a fact that I never said Amelie was a poor choice "merely because she's a woman" and I'm 1000% certain that Nehmeth never did either.

Ever since Mauresmo got the gig, you've been proprietorial about her, scanning posts through your feminist goggles and reducing her appointment to a gender thingy that had to be defended. How dare anybody think she's the wrong choice, eh? Must be cos she's a dame, eh? You never came out straight and named names, but now you have and I'd have to ask you to show where I ever said it's because she's a woman.

You previously went as far as to say that the gender card was played because it was suggested that Mauresmo would be nourishing for Andy at a time when he missed Lendl's discipline. This is you making assumptions, not us. You're the one who's invested in this politically, not me. I didn't think McEnroe was a good suggestion by people, either.

I have seen nothing in Mauresmo's career that suggests she's a good choice for Andy. It has nothing to do with her being a hen. But suggesting that being a Fed cup captain is suitable experience for the job is on a par with saying that whoever's been managing the Arsenal ladies football team to unprecedented heights should then apply to manage the full team after Wenger leaves.

It's not the same.

What Andy has to do isn't the same - and what he has to face isn't the same. But it's not this that makes me feel that she's an odd choice. It's the fit feels wrong. Andy has a dark side, and it can be chanelled and poured into something constructive, and Lendl had a dark wicked side too, and he understood this.

It could be that Mauresmo succeeds, but that'll have nothing to do with her being a woman either - it'll be because she was the right choice after all...

 

[Moxie]

^ Well, in fairness, you've both made some pretty rude remarks against Becker, as well. If I've been wrong to assume that there's an element of sexism, then forgive me, but in the absence of basically anything else that we know about her, I would say her most prominent feature is that she's a woman, so that's why I inferred that the was the reason for poo-pooing her. Or perhaps it's because she's French?

 

[Kieran]

^ Well, in fairness, you've both made some pretty rude remarks against Becker, as well. If I've been wrong to assume that there's an element of sexism, then forgive me, but in the absence of basically anything else that we know about her, I would say her most prominent feature is that she's a woman, so that's why I inferred that the was the reason for poo-pooing her. Or perhaps it's because she's French?

And she's nourishing, and she has Fairy Liquid soft palms...

 

[Moxie]

^ Well, in fairness, you've both made some pretty rude remarks against Becker, as well. If I've been wrong to assume that there's an element of sexism, then forgive me, but in the absence of basically anything else that we know about her, I would say her most prominent feature is that she's a woman, so that's why I inferred that the was the reason for poo-pooing her. Or perhaps it's because she's French?

And she's nourishing, and she has Fairy Liquid soft palms...

:laydownlaughing

 

[nehmeth]

^ Well, in fairness, you've both made some pretty rude remarks against Becker, as well. If I've been wrong to assume that there's an element of sexism, then forgive me, but in the absence of basically anything else that we know about her, I would say her most prominent feature is that she's a woman, so that's why I inferred that the was the reason for poo-pooing her. Or perhaps it's because she's French?

Yep, I've made unkind comments about Becker too... and not because he's a woman, or German. And when I noticed improvement in different aspects of Novak's game, Becker was credited too. Amelie was also a questionable choice and Kieran clearly pointed out that you jumped on the fact that she's a female. Yet, you preface your mea culpa with "IF" and then reiterate why you jumped to your conclusions in the first place. Good job.

 

[DarthFed]

^ Well, in fairness, you've both made some pretty rude remarks against Becker, as well. If I've been wrong to assume that there's an element of sexism, then forgive me, but in the absence of basically anything else that we know about her, I would say her most prominent feature is that she's a woman, so that's why I inferred that the was the reason for poo-pooing her. Or perhaps it's because she's French?

Isn't it fair to question whether or not a female coach is a decent fit for one of the top male players in the world? I don't see it as being sexist, it is just being honest in that they can't really relate due to the difference between the men's and women's tour. I think it is fair to wonder what Mauresmo can bring to the table? And again, she was not known for being mentally tough. I just don't see it.

I think Martina is the only potentially good female coach I can think of for the top guns. She was a fierce competitor, mentally tough, played a good attacking game (even though the game was obviously different), etc.

 

[nehmeth]

I think Martina is the only potentially good female coach I can think of for the top guns. She was a fierce competitor, mentally tough, played a good attacking game (even though the game was obviously different), etc.

She is tough, and at times has been critical of Andy's performance and behavior on court. I doubt she would even take the job if he asked.

 

[Iona16]

I think Martina is the only potentially good female coach I can think of for the top guns. She was a fierce competitor, mentally tough, played a good attacking game (even though the game was obviously different), etc.

I doubt she would even take the job if he asked.

Judging from her responses to questions about the possibility of coaching Andy and her comments on twitter it would seem she would have taken the job.

I'm not sold on the Mauresmo appointment but I'm obviously hoping it works out. All I will say is that it was Cahill that suggested Mauresmo. The same guy that told Andy to meet with Ivan.