Bollettieri Gives Murray Some Tips on How to Select a Coach

“I have followed the career of Andy Murray for several years. My interest in Andy has always remained very high due to the fact that he reminds me of Andre Agassi. Both of them have so many parts of the game that you cannot teach, including having the nose of an elephant who not only smells what is going on but also gets to that area without too much thinking.

To have a chance of success both the player and coach must lay all the cards on the table and then explain them one at a time and see where they agree or don’t agree. We must all accept one clear factor of this conversation: the player must be the captain of the ship and the coach must follow his lead. This does not mean the coach rolls over and says yes to everything. The coach must know when to talk and when to listen but when he talks he better know what he’s talking about. I learned how to do this when I was the coach for Boris Becker (Do not say too much and earn his respect).

The coach must know what makes his student tick and how to communicate with them which may include:
Being tough without options
Treat the student with kid gloves
Listen to your student and then give direction.

Nick’s tip - All of the above must be discussed in full and then determine if they are close enough to continue talking about a relationship.

The student and coach must select their practice sessions and what is best for peak performance: players will vary what they do during their sessions.

Andy must have a fulltime coach that makes a total commitment to be with him the entire year. When I traveled with Andre, Becker, Haas, Courier, Seles, etc. I was on the road 36 weeks and then with them the majority of the remaining time. This took a heavy toll on my marriages as you all know but this was my way of showing my student that I am there for you all the time. A coach that is married and has children must think a long time before going one way or the other.

In conclusion I believe that Andy has the ammo to be a top player including winning grand slams. When you select a coach you must examine your game every which way and determine if a strategy plan of playing should be at the top of your list. I do not think that Andy’s game should have a high percentage of defensive play, you now execute.

Andy is no longer a young man, he is a veteran and it’s time to become a warrior. A leader rather than a soldier

Bollettieri later added that if he were decades younger, he would love to be Murray’s coach, but not today.