Master of minutiae could grow into an ideal mentor
Tailor-made tactics and poring over details key to Murray success, says Judy
HE is a superstar athlete who accesses more obscure information on random websites than the geekiest kid in the playground. Only this data isn’t actually useless. In fact, most of it is highly sensitive, privileged, valuable information. The kind of tactical insights and statistical gems which Andy Murray has on most players in world tennis after a career at the sharp end of the sport can be the difference between winning and losing, worth countless thousands of pounds.
As he enters what he concedes is the ‘end period’ of his career, the Scot increasingly appears to be using that bank of information to benefit others as well as himself. Whether he could ever be tempted to become Davis Cup captain, or a headline coach such as the likes of Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker or Stefan Edberg, the world No.3 has already essentially settled into a player/ coaching role of sorts.
In the last 24 hours or so, he has essentially been pre-occupied with generating two different tactical plans. While one will be designed to take him past the challenge of 31-year-old German-Italian veteran Andreas Seppi, last up on Centre Court, the other will hope to see his pal James Ward beyond Vasek Pospisil. Should both men win, it would be the first time since 2002 that two British men have reached the last 16 at Wimbledon. Who knows – with the pair, potentially, at least on a quarter-final collision course – at some point Murray may even have to stop dispensing information if he perceives his pal to be a threat.
In an exclusive interview with Herald Sport, Judy Murray said last night that she wouldn’t be surprised if her superstar son followed in her footsteps and became a coach once his playing days are over – even if she would recommend that he had a break first. Both Andy and Jamie, in fact, have similar attributes, whether it is passing on tips to other elite players or encouraging other kids to take up the sport.
“I think he certainly could become a coach if he wanted to, of course, because he has been a real student of the game since he was a very young boy,” said Judy. “He really studies – not just what he does, but what everybody else does. If you ask him about any player, he could pretty much give you a rundown of their game, their track record, he really is a bit of a geek in that respect. Jamie is too.
“For me that is a big thing,” she added. “When you are working with young kids, if it is what they aspire to do, it is important they learn about their sport, which then becomes their business. It is their business to know what the best players are doing, what their competition is doing.
“So he certainly could go into coaching although I don’t know if he would want to do that or not,” she added. “He has just turned 28 and been full time for about 11 years now and that is a long time. If he goes for another two or three years I think the last thing he would want to do when he finishes is go back into coaching but you never know. Ivan came into it after about a 30-year break, but I don’t think you ever really know until you finish.
“My feeling is that once you stop, you should have a break, and don’t just jump right back into it. I couldn’t see him going back into it full time. And I’ve got a feeling that he might diversify a bit. But he has such passion and knowledge for the game and so does Jamie. He is very analytical and has good people skills. Maybe he could work at my tennis centre [at the Park of Keir site, near Bridge of Allan] if I get it up and running.”
While a re-submitted application for planning permission for that proposed tennis and golf project is considered, the world No.3 is already using that formidable super computer of his to help out his buddy and former coach Leon Smith, the Davis Cup captain. The 28-year-old has a different relationship with each of the other budding young British players on the circuit, but is particularly close to his contemporary Ward, who will gatecrash the world’s top 100 players in the wake of this tournament. The fellow Arsenal fan has stayed at his apartment in Miami a few times, as has young Kyle Edmund, there was a tweet of congratulations for Liam Broady after his first win at a grand slam this tournament, while a few choice observations were passed on to James Davidson, the coach of Aljaz Bedene, about such minute details as Radek Stepanek’s conservatism as a volleyer.
These days, in the early rounds of the tournaments at least, Murray speaks more about others than he does himself. Maximising potential is his new mantra, whether the career in question is his or theirs. “Not everybody has the capabilities to get to the top 100 but James really has the capability,” said Murray. “The challenge for him is playing at the level that he should be playing at on a more consistent basis. He’s had some terrific results obviously in Davis Cup, and obviously has played well here in big matches on big courts. My hope is that he sees that he can play at this level all of the time. He’s not finished here, he could still go further, and have better opportunity to play in bigger events more often.”
By the time you read this, these two men will have had an in-depth tactical conversation about the challenges presented by Vasek Pospisil. “He’ll have to serve well,” begins Murray’s snapshot analysis.
“He hasn’t had a great year, Pospisil, but he obviously won the doubles here last year. So he has a game to play well on grass. But there’s certain patterns of play in which I think James has significant advantages in in that match. So if he can get into those patterns of play that work for him, then he certainly has an opportunity to win that match.”
I think he certainly could become a coach if he wanted to, of course, because he has been a real student of the game since he was a very young boy