Sir Andy on What He Lacks as a Coach

[jimlosaltos]

I had several discussions along these lines with John Yandell over the years ...

Andy Murray reveals he was not ready to coach Novak Djokovic and that he didn't have answers to his questions:

“I would say that most ex players are sort of weak at the technical side of the game. At times, Novak was looking for quite a lot of technical feedback, and it was something that I didn’t really feel comfortable with. So that was something that I definitely, if I was going to coach again in the future, I would want to work on and learn from someone who’s very good at that."

[stotty]

I had several discussions along these lines with John Yandell over the years ...

Andy Murray reveals he was not ready to coach Novak Djokovic and that he didn't have answers to his questions:

“I would say that most ex players are sort of weak at the technical side of the game. At times, Novak was looking for quite a lot of technical feedback, and it was something that I didn’t really feel comfortable with. So that was something that I definitely, if I was going to coach again in the future, I would want to work on and learn from someone who’s very good at that."

He could start by visiting Tennisplayer. There’s probably lots on here he doesn’t know. Had he slightly adjusted his own service grip he might have been able to achieve full internal rotation on the serve himself. Just goes to show what you can get away with when you’re a major talent.

Not sure why Novak would be looking for technical help at 38 years old…bit late for that.

[stroke]

He could start by visiting Tennisplayer. There’s probably lots on here he doesn’t know. Had he slightly adjusted his own service grip he might have been able to achieve full internal rotation on the serve himself. Just goes to show what you can get away with when you’re a major talent.

Not sure why Novak would be looking for technical help at 38 years old…bit late for that.

Novak is just a bit of a princess with his subordinates(team). I doubt he really seeks any technical pointers ha.

[jimlosaltos]

I'm going to put this here rather than start a new thread, since the podcast interview has a lot to do with coaching. But this excerpt is insightful on how these players see the game and their careers differently because of Fed et al.


Darren Cahill has some interesting takes on coaching Sinner in Andy Roddick's podcast. But this was also fascinating. Cahill says Sinner and Alcaraz both have a different perspective than he and Andy did because the Big 3 have shown them they can have 15 year careers.

"He just loves the sport. He wants to get out there and play for the next 15 years. He's 23 years of age. He can see himself playing when he's 37-38 years of age . And I don't know about you but I couldn't do that when I was playing You know I was Iwas trying to make it to the 30s and I didn't even give it that long in my career But these guys have a different perspective now about how long a tennis career can be because of the legends that have just played it and extended their careers for so long and had so much success So these young players
coming through are investing into their careers at an early age to make sure
they get the longevity and with that they have great self-awareness I think

Carlos has it as well I think he's very aware of his surroundings very aware of his success and his popularity and Janick is as well and all at the same time he's able to keep his feet on the ground to what you see from the outside

https://youtu.be/guALVh47WuI?si=1Lnjpv90_dEzu6MT

[doctorhl]

I had several discussions along these lines with John Yandell over the years ...

Andy Murray reveals he was not ready to coach Novak Djokovic and that he didn't have answers to his questions:

“I would say that most ex players are sort of weak at the technical side of the game. At times, Novak was looking for quite a lot of technical feedback, and it was something that I didn’t really feel comfortable with. So that was something that I definitely, if I was going to coach again in the future, I would want to work on and learn from someone who’s very good at that."

Very few elite performers in any sport are good technical coaches. Improvement in technical performance came easy for them and it makes it hard for them to relate to that difficulty in improved motor performance. This in turn makes the gap in elite psychological development hard for them to relate to also.

[don_budge]

Very few elite performers in any sport are good technical coaches. Improvement in technical performance came easy for them and it makes it hard for them to relate to that difficulty in improved motor performance. This in turn makes the gap in elite psychological development hard for them to relate to also.

Elite performers in most sports are by nature very egotistical. It is what drives them to be elite. Their egos. I wonder about the empathetic factor. It seemed to me that when I was coaching that my ego was put aside. A interesting form of empathy is a great necessity to get inside the players head. Furthermore...persuasive skills are of the utmost importance. Trying to sell a student on your teaching paradigm or coaching paradigm is sometimes a tough sell. Somehow it isn't necessary to be a great former player or elite performer to be a great coach. A competitive background can be helpful but from what I gather most of these "celebrity" coaches might be in it for more ego satisfaction. Don't they actually have better things to do?

Andy Murray's biggest shortcoming might not just be about technical stuff. He doesn't appear to me to be the psychologically nuanced type of individual that can be the great supporting role. Andre Agassi is another one who doesn't impress me as being the type of individual that can put aside his huge ego. Ivan Lendl is another who comes to mind that doesn't check all the boxes. Agassi and Lendl would appear to be financially stable so why would they put themselves in that position? Ego?

Tennis coaches are sometimes like a second father to the player. It seems that the best ones are. My junior college tennis coach was a case in point. He made such a lasting impression on all of his players that he is, was and always will be a everlasting influence in their lives. I still hear his voice. The firmness of his discipline and dedication. Truly...an epic student of not only the game but the player psyche.