Murray Wants a Full Time Coach, But it Won’t be Cahill

If Darren Cahill can turn down a full time coaching appointment with Roger Federer it seems he is financially strong enough to reject any opportunity to work with a top flight player and so seems to be the case with world no.4 Andy Murray.

Cahill, the Australian who mentored his countryman Lleyton Hewitt to the world no1 spot and a couple of Grand Slam titles before guiding Andre Agassi to a glorious late career renaissance, appears to be top of the Murray short list following last week's split with Miles Maclagan.

Alex Corretja, Murray's coaching consultant, has intimated his is not interested in extending his current 12 week a year agreement.

So Murray, at the age of 23 and still to win a major title after falling short in two finals, needs a coach to travel with him full time and jump charge that final leap to elitism.

Cahill would be perfect, both in expertise and personality, where the fiery Scot requires a placid and measured counter balance. But the man from Adelaide known throughout tennis as 'Killer' is content to carry on his commentary duties with ESPN where he ironically works alongside Brad Gilbert who spent a tempestuous 16 months working with the Scot.

In addition Cahill is also involved in the adidas Development Program, set up by Jim Latham and Sven Groeneveld. Cahill and Agassi's former fitness guru Gil Reyes regularly work with top flight adidas players such as Fernando Verdasco and Caroline Wozniacki in training weeks in Las Vegas.

Such an opportunity would obviously be open to Murray who since the beginning of the year has been the front line adidas male player.

But Cahill isn't sure that is a compromise. "It looks like Andy is leaning towards a full time coach and that can't be me," insisted Cahill. "I'm not in a position to be anybody's full time coach with my commitments at ESPN and adidas.

"I think the world of Andy and believe he is a major winner in the waiting. But if I was going to go back to full time coaching then I probably would have hung in there with Roger."

Murray, who lost Sunday's Farmers Cup final in Los Angeles to Sam Querrey, with Cahill working in the TV commentary booth, insisted he is open to coaching options. "I haven't spoken with Darren," he said. "I'd probably want to work with someone like him but he has got a lot of things going on himself so I have no idea."