Andy Murray defends decision to hire female coach
MELBOURNE, Australia – Andy Murray sounded off against his critics in regards to his coaching relationship with Amelie Mauresmo on Thursday after reaching the Australian Open final.
Murray, the world No. 6 and into his first Grand Slam final since winning Wimbledon in 2013, spoke out on court in an interview with Jim Courier on Australia's Channel 7.
"A lot of people criticized me working with her," Murray said of Mauresmo, whom he appointed as coach in June of last year. "And I think so far this week we have shown that women can be very good coaches as well."
Many applauded Murray's coaching relationship with Ivan Lendl when the former No. 1 came on board in early 2012 and Murray won his first two Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal under Lendl's tutelage.
The pair split in March of 2014.
Some members of the British press – and many inside the sport of tennis – then openly criticized Murray's choice of Mauresmo a few months later, including current player Marinko Matosevic of Australia and former great Virginia Wade, Murray's countrywoman.
But Murray, after his win, said the hard work was paying off and his coach – regardless of gender – had done a good job.
"I'm very thankful for Amelie for doing that," Murray said of their partnership. "I think that was a brave choice from her to do it and hopefully I can re-pay her in a few days."
Murray's struggle with healing from a back injury in 2014 was connected by some in the media with his lack of success with Mauresmo. As defending champion, he lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and was also knocked out in the same stage at the U.S. Open.
"Hopefully, one day people won't look at gender when they hire a coach," said Martina Navratilova, who is now working with Agnieszka Radwanska. She spoke to a small group of media outlets on Wednesday, including USA Today Sports.
"It made such big news when Andy picked Amelie, but to me it was like, 'Really? I just don't understand that line of thinking,'" Navratilova said.
"A coach sometimes gets so much praise when their player does well and sometimes gets criticism when they don't do well," said U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez, speaking on ESPN2's Australian Open coverage.
Murray lost decisively 6-0, 6-1 to Roger Federer at the ATP World Tour Finals in November, causing further criticism of his work with Mauresmo.
"A lot of people were criticizing her at the end of last year saying it was her fault," Murray told reporters after the match in a press conference. "You can't change things during tournaments. There's no reason for her to be criticized for anything. I was very happy for her that I won the match tonight."
Murray also acknowledged American Madison Keys' recent hiring of Lindsay Davenport, the 19-year-old making her first Grand Slam semifinal here.
"I see no reason why that can't keep moving forward like that in the future," Murray continued. The crowd inside Rod Laver Arena applauded his comments.
"I think it's great," former doubles standout Rennae Stubbs, an Australian TV commentator, wrote in an email to USA Today Sports about Murray's words. "I love the way he is standing behind his decision to work with her."
Fernandez continued on ESPN2: "I think (Mauresmo is) getting him to be more aggressive. She was a player who loved to come forward – that's how she won her two majors. It's taken a little bit longer with Andy and Mauresmo, but the personalities mesh well. And she's making an impact; she's getting through to him."
Stubbs pointed out that Murray's mother has been a constant force in his life. Judy Murray is a respected tennis coach in Britain, and is the current Fed Cup captain there.
"His mother's influence is so obvious," she wrote. "He is such a champion of women."
"It's completely irrelevant what gender you are," Navratilova said. "It totally depends on your personality, how you play, what you see and how you mesh with that player and how you can make that player."
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