Andy Murray news: Coaching situation ‘not ideal’ for former world No 1 as he eyes ‘permanent solution’

Shahida Jacobs
February 14, 2022

The back and forth situation when it comes to coaches is taking its toll on Andy Murray with the three-time Grand Slam winner eager to find a long-term solution.

Having split from Jaime Delgado at the end of the 2021 season, Murray started working with Jan De Witt on a trial basis and the German was in his corner at the Australian Open.

However, after his second-round exit from Melbourne Park, the former world No 1 turned to Daniel Vallverdu for last week’s Rotterdam Open, but he knew from the off that it was a short-term appointment as Vallverdu remains contracted to the injured Stan Warwinka.

Vallverdu and Colin Fleming will accompany him at the Qatar Open this week, but Murray wants consistency in terms of the coaching messages.

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“I’m just trying to get a more permanent solution so that I can have consistency in terms of the things that I’m working on, because having different messages from people who are working with you each week is not ideal,” he said.

The world No 87 lost in the second round in Rotterdam last week, going down in straight sets against eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime.

However, the 35-year-old believes there were plenty of positives in recent weeks.

“There has been some positive signs,” he said. “I really feel like my tennis can be a lot better.

“I don’t feel like I lost (to Auger-Aliassime) because I was really struggling with my movement, but I believe that my tennis can improve providing I put in the right work and consistently work on the right things for a period of time, and I believe that will happen.

“It probably won’t happen overnight because some of the mistakes that I’ve been making technically have been probably happening for 18 months or so, so it takes a bit of time to break those habits. I’ll need to put in a lot of work on them to change that.”

Andy Murray