IVAN Lendl doesn’t say much. So when the taciturn Czech tennis legend and former coach of Andy Murray offers a recommendation, it is usually wise to listen. The eight-time Grand Slam winner had the likes of Patrick McEnroe and Leon Smith for company in the list of people prepared to provide a glowing reference to Leonardo Azevedo, the Brazilian tennis coach yesterday appointed by Tennis Scotland and the LTA to front up the new GB national academy which starts in August at the University of Stirling.
Azevedo, who worked with former World No 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero and Wimbledon winner Marion Bartoli, will lead a new coaching team dedicated to the academy, which is one of only two in the UK.. Also involved are lead performance coach Colin Fleming and renowned Spanish coach Esteban Carril, with support from GB Davis Cup captain Smith. He joins from his current position at international tennis academy Barcelona Total Tennis (BTT) in Spain, having previously spent eight years at the USTA in player development, where he worked with the likes of Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock and Donald Young.
The only problem will be finding Scottish players operating at a high enough level to take advantage from this assistance. Only eight players or even less, aged between 14 and 18, will benefit initially from the academy, which is operated in tandem with Dollar Academy, and none of the first wave may be Scottish. Nonetheless, Fleming hailed the appointment and said he couldn’t wait to get started. He said there would be no knock-on in court time for current Stirling-based players such as Maia Lumsden, in action at Scotstoun this week.
“I’m really excited to have Leo come in to work at the national academy in Stirling and be involved in British and Scottish tennis,” said Fleming. “It’s great to bring someone of that level and calibre to Scotland. We’ve got some mutual friends from the tour as well like Andre Sa and I know he’s looking forward to working with me to bring that knowledge to Scottish and British tennis.”
Fleming offered a progress report on the scouting work which is currently underway. “It’s up to eight players in year one but we’re setting the bar pretty high,” he said. “We want players we see with a realistic opportunity to progress through the pathway like the way players like Jack Draper, Aiden McHugh, Katie Boutler have. Obviously as a proud Scot myself I want Scottish players to come through the pathway. We’re hopeful there’ll be Scottish players involved from year one, but if not then year two or three. Now we can genuinely say we’ve got an option for the very best Scots if they do come through to stay in Scotland and get world class coaching and the sport science and medicine combined with education.”
“It is an honour to be appointed the first Head Coach of the new GB National Tennis Academy,” said Azevedo. “Tennis in Britain and Scotland has been on a fantastic journey over the last two decades and we don’t need to look far from Stirling to be inspired by just what is possible.”
“Leo is a coach’s coach – he loves to work with others and always tries to make the players he works with accountable to themselves as players and as individuals. Tennis Scotland and the LTA have hired a great coach and an even better person.”
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