The concept of employing a female coach on the men’s tour is a ‘strange’ tactic according to Patrick Mouratoglou.
Mouratoglou, who is the longtime coach of world No.1 Serena Williams, admitted that he was surprised when Murray confirmed that he has hired Mauresmo in June 2014. The decision to hire the Frenchwoman was a milestone on the men’s tour. Never before had as a top ATP professional enlisted the help of a woman to work as their full-time coach. Murray was praised by many for his defence of Mauresmo when she was heavily criticised. He described himself as ‘a feminist’ in an article he wrote for French newspaper L’equipe, hitting back at those who were critical of his decision to recruit a female coach.
Regardless of Murray’s groundbreaking approach, Mouratoglou had his own reservations about the decision. The 46-year-old has said that a female coach doesn’t know the men’s game as well as the women’s.
‘It’s strange for a guy to hire a woman,” he told The Radio Times.
‘Nothing bad about women, but it’s strange because usually they don’t know the men’s game as well as the women’s game, and it’s a very macho world.”
To a certain extent, Mouratoglou’s comments can be justified by Murray’s record during his time with Mauresmo. The world No.2 won seven ATP titles during his time with the Frenchwoman, including his first Masters title on the clay. On the other hand, he never triumphed in the grand slams, settling for Runner-up at the Australian Open twice.
‘It was very courageous of Andy to hire her. I’m not saying it was a mistake, but he didn’t win anything major with Amelie,’ Mouratoglou pointed out.
‘If Andy had won two or three grand slams with Amelie, we would see it differently.’
Murray ended his collaboration with Mauresmo last month. Following the split, he has returned to working with Ivan Lendl for the second time in his career. Lendl coached the Brit during the most successful period of his career between 2012-2014, when he won two grand slam titles and an Olympic gold medal.
The resumption of the Murray-Lendl coaching relationship has got off to a winning start. The world No.2 defeated Milos Raonic to win a record-breaking fifth title at The Queen’s Club in London. Murray will work with Lendl during the grass-court season, but it is unclear as to what will happen after Wimbledon.
