This grass-court season has seen a few really interesting additions to player entourages.
First, Canadian Milos Raonic got the tennis world buzzing by announcing his three-week partnership with three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe, adding the American legend, who was known for his deft touch and exceptional volleying skills, to a coaching crew that already includes another former world No 1, Carlos Moya.
McEnroe was more than pleased to get on board, for he believes Raonic, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2014, is "one of five or six guys that can win Wimbledon".
Stan Wawrinka probably features on that list as well, though the Swiss has, surprisingly, never progressed beyond the quarter-finals at the All England Club in 11 attempts. Five of those trips have ended in the first round, but Wawrinka is now determined to improve his rather modest record on grass courts – he is 26-22 on the surface – and has added 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek to his coaching team, which also includes former world No 2 Magnus Norman.
See also:
• Reunited and it feels so good: Andy Murray recalls former coach Ivan Lendl ahead of Wimbledon
• Dileep Premachandran: India's tennis dream at Rio may be hit by potential doubles troubles between Bopanna and Paes
• John McEnroe 'interested' in coaching Andy Murray: 'You're talking about the cream of the crop'
The biggest bombshell, however, was Andy Murray's decision to reunite with his former coach Ivan Lendl. The announcement blindsided the tennis world, but the Scot could not have picked a better man for the job.
McEnroe said so last week, before Murray and Lendl, once described as the oddest couple in the sport, had made announced their reunion.
"I think clearly my old rival Ivan Lendl made a positive difference with Andy," McEnroe told the Daily Telegraph, suggesting the two should get together again. "I think it would be an interesting thought. He had great success before and I don't see why he would not do it. On paper, it potentially makes some sense to me."
Those McEnroe comments probably played a part in nudging Murray and Lendl towards a reunion, and the Scot said he is “looking forward to Ivan joining the team again” and helping him try to reach his goals.
“He’s single-minded and knows what it takes to win the big events,” added Murray.
Novak Djokovic had appointed Boris Becker to his team for the same reason, for his "great tennis knowledge, and his experience" that could help the Serb "win new trophies, grand slams and other tournaments".
Djokovic had lost four of his past five grand slam finals when he decided to seek Becker’s help in December, 2013. He has reached the final of eight of the 10 majors since, winning six.
Murray was responsible for two of Djokovic's four major final defeats in that frustrating 15-month period between the 2012 French Open and the 2013 US Open, and Lendl was part of the Scot's coaching team at the time.
The man responsible for this current trend of appointing “super coaches”, Murray started working with Lendl with the start of the 2012 season and their partnership bore fruits that summer when he won gold at the London Olympic Games, becoming the first Briton to do so since Josiah Ritchie in 1908.
A month later, Murray became Britain’s first men’s grand slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936 when he beat Djokovic in the US Open final. The following summer he ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon, defeating Djokovic in three straight sets.
That, unfortunately, is Murray’s last win against Djokovic at a major. He is 0-5 against the Serb at the grand slams since and has lost three major finals, including two this year.
Since his split with Lendl, in March, 2014, Murray is 2-12 against Djokovic and 0-4 against Roger Federer. During the Lendl era, he was 4-6 against Djokovic and 3-4 against Federer. Murray never met Rafael Nadal on the court during that two-year stint with Lendl, but is 2-4 since.
Some of those losses brought Murray’s mental frailties to the fore and that is the reason why Lendl’s reappointment is so important. As Murray acknowledged this weekend, Lendl helped him “psychologically”, made him believe he could win.
“He’s made a really big difference to Andy in terms of the emotional control on the court,” Murray’s mother, Judy, told BBC after his 2013 Wimbledon triumph. “I think that’s helped Andy to play his best tennis for longer periods of time.”
That “emotional control on the court” has been missing in recent times and if Lendl can help rein it in again, Murray should be adding to his two grand slam trophies sooner or later.
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