Murray Plays in Indian Wells Without Coach Lendl

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 14th March 2013

Murray Plays in Indian Wells Without Coach Lendl

epa03622691 Andy Murray of Great Britain hits a return against Carlos Berlocq of Argentina in first set during the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 13 March 2013. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Andy Murray is managing on his own during the Indian Wells Masters, with coach Ivan Lendl awaiting a reunion with his third-ranked pupil at the Miami major starting next week.

Murray spent time with Lendl in Miami during a February training block before coming to the Californian desert and breaking the run of two straight opening losses at the Tennis Garden. With his game apparently working well in his first event since losing the Australian Open final six weeks ago, the Scot is perfectly happy to keep coping on his own during the desert event.

He said that going without his coach is not a huge strain, but that Lendl’s constant attention to detail can be helpful. “You don’t have that (Lendl) voice in your ear on a daily basis. I speak to him most days, but not having him on the practice court or whatnot you need to remind yourself of sort of the good habits and stay away from the bad things obviously he would be always pointing out to me.

“I speak to him about tactics. I speak to (practice partner) Danny about tactics. I’ve not struggled when Ivan’s not there, but obviously it helps when he is there.”

At the same time, Murray adds: “All tennis players like a little bit of independence. Sometimes you play your best tennis like that, because sometimes you just have a little bit more freedom and that’s it.”