Consultancy The New Coaching

I remember the announcement. Murray hires Ivan Lendl as his new coach. I was against it from the off and not convinced he had made the right decision. 2012 has seen Andy have his best year to date. Olympic Gold and a US Open title are fruits of this partnership and how it has blossomed. However, roll on Asia and no sign of Lendl. To me he is more a consultant than a coach. However, this could be a new thing in tennis for the retired pro. Lendl and Murray has shown you don't need to be in each others back pocket and enjoy success. This dynamic could work for other players and not just Murray. Tsonga for me could benefit with someone with him at the Slams. Some players crave and enjoy the 24/7 dynamic. Del Potro and Ferrer both working with the same coach from their youth.

If your a Sampras or an Agassi or even a Becker, the lure of maybe lending some experience at the big events could help some of the current talent push themselves to success without having to commit a massive amount of time out of your calendar. It seems to have rewards and also can help further your legacy, though you might not need to. There is a market for it and it wouldn't surprise me to see one of the retired pro's come forward and take the mantle of coach with a player in the top 20.

Tennis consultant? Could be the new thing.

Good article LK

Depends on the player I suppose, how willing are they to blindly follow what someone tells them to do. Do they like having someone over their shoulder all their time, taking charge.

For Murray I think the current system works well for him, Lendl's advice has been a big help to him in progressing the way he has.

Perhaps LK.

I tend to see it that Murray is like Federer. Neither responds well to a full time coach in their prime...they're much more their own men in terms of directing their own tennis development than most of the other guys. They get specific input on key areas.

I would also further argue that player's technique is now so good from their pre-prime development that they don't need coaches in the old sense anymore...just mental and physical trainers who work with them as needed.

Good article LK, fully agree.