Tennis
Murray sacks coach
2011-03-29 15:48
London - British tennis star Andy Murray has parted company with coaching consultant Alex Corretja as he seeks to halt a form slump stretching back to January, it was confirmed Tuesday.
World number five Murray said he had agreed a mutual split with former Spanish professional Corretja, who he regarded as a friend and mentor.
Corretja has been part of Murray's coaching team since April 2008, offering specialist advice on the Scot's clay-court season, where he has struggled to emulate his success on other surfaces.
"I've had a really good relationship with Alex over the past three years. I have learned so much from being around him and I want to thank him for his hard work, enthusiasm, dedication and support," Murray said.
"He has been a great friend as well as a mentor to me and we've shared lots of success and good times both on and off the court."
Corretja meanwhile offered Murray support in future.
"Helping Andy has been a great experience for me, he's got great talent and can be one of the best on any surface," Corretja said.
"I wish Andy, his family and all his team all the best both personally and professionally."
Murray, 23, has seen a huge slump in his form since his straight sets loss to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final in January and he lost early to qualifiers in the Masters Series events in Indian Wells and Miami.
Those defeats have prompted Murray to rethink the makeup of his coaching team which also includes old friend Dani Vallverdu as well as his mother Judy.
Among those touted as a possible new coach has been Czech great Ivan Lendl, who went through a similar spell of Grand Slam misery before coming good with eight titles.
"Andy could do with some advice from the right person," Murray's brother Jamie, best known for his doubles play, told The Times.
"He is good enough to get to that next level, but he needs that something extra that's missing. He needs to find it from himself more than someone else.
"It's a mental thing, he has all the ability in the world.
"Maybe it's his approach to tennis. If he does go a different route, you have to give your trust to that person. You have to let your guard down a bit, listen to the guy and accept he's giving his opinion."