Wimbledon 2009 - Andy Murray's ex-coach Mark Petchey thinks he will win
Last updated 25/06/2009 10:00:33
Wimbledon 2009 - Andy Murray ex-coach Mark Petchey thinks he will win
The coach who Andy Murray brutally sacked is tipping him to win Wimbledon this year.
Mark Petchey, who quit his job with the LTA to work with the then unpredictable Scot, lasted just ten months despite the pair's friendship and success, before Murray moved on. But Petchey bears no obvious grudge and told me:" He is going to win a major sooner or later and there is no reason why he can't start at Wimbledon this year.
" Can he win it? Yes he can!"
Petchey had taken over from Murray's previous coach Colombian Pato Alvarez and was soon to be replaced by American Brad Gilbert, hired at enormous expense by the LTA, who had previously guided former world number, one's Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick. He fared no better than Petchey and was soon on his bike back to the States as Miles Maclagan and an entire team of experts took control as Murray continued his surge up the world rankings.
Cool, focussed, relaxed, Murray is a different player to most of us these days but former British Davis Cup player Petchey has no doubts and has never had any doubts, that the number three seed is still arrowing upwards and will start as one of the favourites at the All England Club.
His spectacular serve is his most potent weapon on grass and his variation makes him even more dangerous than those like Andy Roddick who rely solely on pace.
Petchey admitted: "We are still good friends but I don't necessarily speak to him in detail about what he does to change things. The action to me looks pretty much as it was. His percentages have been 60% this year, which is what I have always said if he gets that number he will be tough to beat because he is always going to break you.
He mixes his serve well; there is nothing about him that is predictable. He has a great swinging serve, a big serve, flat when it needs to be, he can put it into you body, change it up and that is what makes him such a difficult customer to play against because you cannot get a lot of rhythm against him, you don't know what is coming at you and it means you are always second guessing. It puts doubt in an opponents mind and puts doubt and takes time from an opponent, it is a combination of things and he can back it up with his serve and volley coming in.
Basically it has all come together."
The changes in personality are what strikes the travelling tennis press the most and while not all the barriers have been broken down, they will soon.