interview Sears blow tempered by Davis Cup return of Andy Murray, writes Stewart Fisher
Leon Smith, the Scot’s first coach, who these days is head of men’s tennis at the LTA, was speaking of his delight at welcoming the Dunblane player into Davis Cup action for the first time in his reign against Luxembourg at Braehead Arena near Glasgow next month.
Herald Sport, meanwhile, has learned that Miles MacLagan, the Zambian-born Scot who helped take Murray to two Grand Slam finals and to No.2 in the world, has parted company with Philipp Kohlschreiber, the German world No.39.
Another place where there is sure to be a vacancy is alongside Smith at the LTA. News broke yesterday morning that Nigel Sears, the father of Murray’s long-term girlfriend Kim, was leaving his role as head of women’s tennis to work as a full-time coach of Serbian former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic, who had previously been sharing Murray’s Adidas player development team of Darren Cahill and Sven Groeneveld.
Considering the timing of the announcement, and the fact Sears was widely thought to have had a positive effect on the careers of Laura Robson, Heather Watson and Elena Baltacha, this was another blow for the beleaguered tennis governing body. Smith was dutifully statesmanlike on the subject yesterday.
“On a personal note it is disappointing because me and Nigel have got a very good working relationship and obviously he was someone I looked up to a lot,” Smith said. “He has a lot of experience and he brought a lot to the organisation. In the four-and-a-half years he has been here women’s tennis has definitely grown in strength, you look at that with the players who have moved into the top 100 and the younger girls who are coming through.”
But the Glaswegian’s main focus is the men’s game, and more particularly Murray’s return to the Davis Cup ranks for the first time since September 2009, not to mention his own personal care for the first time since he was a teenager.
The 24-year-old is one third of a Scottish contingent which includes his brother Jamie and Colin Fleming, and his return not only allows him to meet the qualification criteria for the 2012 Olympics but gives Great Britain hope of escaping Europe/Africa Zone Group II.
The lone Englishman in the quartet is British No.2 James Ward, who lost to a tough opponent at SW19 in the form of Michael Llodra but is at least fresh from his run to the semi-finals at Queen’s Club. Opponents Luxembourg feature Gilles Muller, the world No.93 who took Rafael Nadal to two tie-breaks in his 7-6, 7-6, 6-0 loss at the All England Club.
“Obviously I am delighted Andy is playing in this tie, it is a huge lift for the team and the fans who come and watch British tennis,” Smith said. “When he plays obviously the team is at a totally different level. It would be amazing if he was Wimbledon champion going in. It is what everyone wants, it would be an incredible way to have him come up into the tie. But regardless of that this is his third straight semi-final at Wimbledon, he is playing great tennis.”
The opposite could, of course, be the case. Smith may have to pick his former pupil up off the floor after a fourth loss in a grand slam final. “Listen, if anyone loses I am sure it is not going to be a great feeling,” he said. “But what we can guarantee him or any player is the energy and spirit in the team. We would make him feel a million dollars again.”
MacLagan, on the other hand, had guided Kohlschreiber to victory in the recent grass court event at Halle, but the 28-year-old from Augsburg didn’t see enough improvement and put an end to the arrangement this weekend. “The bottom line is it is all about results,” admitted MacLagan.
- The AEGON GB Davis Cup team will play Luxembourg at the Braehead Arena from July 8-10. Tickets are still available to purchase. Call 0844 499 1700 to book tickets or visit www.lta.org.uk/daviscup for more information.
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