Monfils splits with coach

Stuttgart - French Davis Cup player Gael Monfils has split with coach Roger Rasheed, the Australian announced on Twitter Saturday.

Speculation in Britain is that Rasheed, who once worked with fellow Adelaide native Lleyton Hewitt, could take over as mentor for world number four Andy Murray, who has been contentedly playing a year without an official coach in house.

The news broke a day after Monfils had won his Davis Cup quarter-final singles match over German Philipp Kohnschreiber at the tie in Stuttgart. Monfils is due to play at the same site during next week's annual ATP event at the Weissenhof club.

"After 3 years Gael & and I believe it is the right time to part company, I enjoyed the challenge and wish Gael the best moving forward," Rasheed Tweeted from Australia.

The chalk-and-cheese combination - French players are often coached by co-nationals - took the hugely talented Monfils to his current world number seven ranking.

He reached the French Open quarter-finals, losing to Roger Federer while going out in the Wimbledon third round.