Andy Murray has reconnected with Ivan Lendl to help galvanise his hopes of success at the French Open, which begins today.
Two months after they ended their player-coach relationship, Murray and Lendl have been back in touch on the eve of the clay-court Grand Slam.
Murray says he is close to appointing a new coac but, as a three-time French Open champion, Lendl knows what it takes to win on clay and Murray admitted he has been offering some advice on what the Scot should be doing.
"I've messaged him a little bit and he actually called me the day after my match with Rafa [Nadal] in Rome," Murray said.
Murray produced perhaps his best tennis of the year as he led Nadal 4-2 in the final set of their Rome Masters match last weekend before narrowly being squeezed out by the Spaniard. Murray said he planned to call Lendl "just to have a little chat" and revealed that the American had been impressed with how he played against Nadal.
"He was saying that the first set for me was obviously great tennis," Murray said, "that it was very close and I should be encouraged by that coming into this event."
Under Lendl's guidance, Murray won Olympic gold in London and the US Open later in 2012, before winning Wimbledon last summer to become the first British male singles champion for 77 years.
Having split with Lendl in Miami in late March, Murray has been taking his time to find the right coach. The Scot revealed Lendl gave him a couple of names of potential replacements, but said the new man would be someone else.
"The people he suggested are people I respect and they are very good coaches, but I don't think it will be one of them," he said.
Murray's best French Open was a semi-final effort two years ago and he begins his title campaign against Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan, ranked 55 in the world.
French Open preview - Pages 10-12
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