Mentor, confidante, tyrant: Tennis coaches can fill all these roles

General / Barry Millns / 19 July 2008 / Leave a Comment

Barry Millns on the strange relationship between player and coach

For a man who emphasised the virtues of fitness, discipline and, above all, sporting behaviour, the late Harry Hopman would no doubt have loved watching the recent Wimbledon men's final.

Although the legendary Australian coach and Davis Cup captain strongly opposed professional tennis, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's epic contest, with its dignified conclusion, displayed nobility reminiscent of the Hopman Era back in the 1950s and 60s.

It was another Australian, the late Peter Carter, who coached Federer in his teens and when he first played on the ATP Tour. Following Carter's tragic death as the result of a car crash in 2002, Federer said: "Peter wasn't my first coach, but he was my real coach. I made trips with him. He knew me and my game, and he was always thinking of what was good for me."

It makes you wonder how Carter would have advised the world No.1 now as he tries to deal with the most painful defeat of his career. Like Federer, Pete Sampras suffered the tragic loss of his fine coach Tim Gullikson and in both cases their working relationships led to great friendships which made their passing so much harder to bear.

There are some current long-term combinations which also work on that level of immense respect and camaraderie, such as James Blake who was only 12 when he first hooked up with mentor Brian Barker, or Mikhail Youzhny who has been coached by Boris Sobkin since he was just 10. But for others, such as Marat Safin, the list of coaches hired and fired through their careers reads like a 'who's who' of tennis.

Watching Andy Murray's emergence on the ATP Tour has been to see a driven young man try to find the balance between what is best for him and what suits him best. You could not find two more contrasting characters than his former coach Brad Gilbert and his current coach Miles MacLagan.

While Gilbert is a fast-talking, hyperactive early riser who fired Andre Agassi to great things when his career was flagging and guided Andy Roddick to the top of the game, his full-on approach to the headstrong Murray (young enough to be his son) inevitably drove them apart. MacClagan, in stark contrast, is a younger, much more laconic, laid-back figure whose quiet, thoughtful demeanour is far less abrasive on the British No.1.

The influence of his mother Judy is still evident in Team Murray, but for other players keeping it totally in the family has been the way to go to varying degrees of success. Toni Nadal and Richard Williams may have very different personalities but as the respective coaches of the Wimbledon singles champions it would be fascinating to hear them swap notes about how they moulded Rafa and Venus (not forgetting Serena) into such great players.

Once again immense self-belief and individuality in moments of the most intense pressure were keys to their latest successes. But in others you can see, often in the frequent glances to the players' boxes for reassurance and approval, an over-reliance on such support when they really need to find the mental strength required from within themselves.

The likes of Maria Sharapova (with her father Yuri) and Elena Dementieva (with her mother Vera) are typical of the highly-protective parent-coaching-daughter relationships which proliferate on the women's tour. In certain cases driving off-spring from such an early age in pursuit of professional riches, can at times create some very autocratic and even monstrous behaviour.

Jim Pierce, the notorious father of Australian and French Open champion Mary Pierce, often shouted abuse at her opponents during matches, "Mary, kill the bitch!", being an infamous example. He was also reportedly often verbally and physically abusive to Mary during practice sessions as well as after defeats, and eventually his behaviour led to him being banned from the tour.

But as with any relationship, coaching ultimately boils down to the mix of characters involved. There is no hard and fast rule and what works for some definitely does not work for others.