DENIS ISTOMIN is coached by his mother.

That's not the kind of statement you hear every week. Yes, there have been similar combinations in the past - American Donald Young works with his mother, Illona, Marat Safin was coached early in his career by mother Rausa and Jimmy Connors was originally guided by mum Gloria and grandmother Bertha - yet it remains uncommon.

Istomin may joke about being unable to converse with his coach in the locker room but it's an arrangement which can throw up all manner of problems. However, Andy Murray, who plays the Uzbekistani world No.67 today - the pair's first and only meeting came earlier this year in Brisbane with the Wimbledon champion winning is straight sets - would appreciate the benefit of having his nearest and dearest by his side.

Even though Judy has taken a back seat when it comes to coaching her son, she naturally remains an integral part of Team Murray. So, can Andy envisage a day when his mother may again take over said duties?

"I wouldn't rule it out," he mused. "It's not something I've thought about too much. But maybe when I start to come to the end of my career, it might be something that would be nice to do. I know that tactically she's very good. She scouts a lot of matches and likes to watch videos of other players."

Does he think she would be able to coach at the elite level?

"Having your son playing in a grand slam final, she would understand the sort of nerves and the pressure that she's feeling," added Murray. "But because she hasn't played [at that level], it's tough to give advice on the mental aspect.

"In terms of tactics, though, it basically depends how much someone cares. If they really want to, they can go into the tactics, look at videos, get stats. She enjoys that part of it. So there's no reason why she couldn't help or give tactics in a match.

"And technically it's different because she has coached a lot of youngsters, so she knows how to teach kids how to hit strokes at a young age. Whereas once you get on tour, like now, I barely do anything technically. It's mainly concentrating on your legs, making sure you're in the right position rather than your actual stroke."

For Istomin, who survived a near fatal car accident in 2001 to recover and establish himself in the top 100, his mother is his tennis rock.

"We have a good relationship and we understand each other very well," said the softly spoken but hard-hitting 27 year-old. "She always tries to help me with everything, not just tennis, normal life as well. She gives me good words to improve my tennis, my life, everything. I'm happy to be coached by my mum.

"Sometimes she shouts at me, maybe I will get a clip on the ear. I try to say my way as well. Sometimes I say, 'I can't feel the ball like you say.' But she'll just say: 'Do it like this and you will be okay. Just listen to me.' She's normally right. It's tough to say where you draw the line between coach and mother. She is always trying to do the right things for me, which I like. When I started playing, she started to teach me tennis. She was playing, in national tournaments, so she knows better tennis than me for sure.

"It's tough for the other players to travel with female coaches. Even to go into the locker room before the match and talk - they cannot do it. I always go outside and start to talk before the match with my mum."

With rain lashing Flushing Meadows yesterday and with the forecast similarly unsettled for today, Murray will at least have time to cool down after the uncomfortable humidity experienced during his straight-sets win over Florian Mayer on Sunday.

Time to catch up on some football will be on the menu. "I love watching the Premier League. Obviously I can't really see many Hibs matches on ESPN on our travels. I like the way Arsenal play. I like the way they run the club. I always enjoy watching them," said Murray.

"I don't claim to be a diehard Arsenal fan. I enjoy watching them and like following them. I actually went along to watch an Arsenal-Spurs game with a friend two years ago. We turned up 10 minutes late for the match. [Arsene] Wenger was suspended from being in the dugout and we had to get him to stand up to get through to our seats. I was so embarrassed to do that."

Whether that's as embarrassing as having your mum waiting outside the locker room at a grand slam to give you coaching advice is certainly up for debate.