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Andy Murray - Good tennis player but no politician

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Morgan in the driving seat - Allsy looks at what the future holds for British number one Andy Murray

Andy Murray certainly knows his own mind. How else could he justify sacking the most famous tennis coach in the game? Brad Gilbert, whose charges has included Agassi and Roddick, began coaching Murray when the Scot was ranked 36th in the world and leaves with Murray in 11th place.

This change of heart mirrors what happened with Murray's last high-profile coach, Mark Petchey who was dumped when the player decided that he needed someone better.

So how do you replace the world's best coach? Murray's master plan is to replace Gilbert with a team of coaches, trainers and physios who will rotate over the season.

"I'm a very good tennis player, I'm 11th in the world and I can do most things well." said Murray recently. "But there are a lot of little things that I can do much better and that's going to be the difference between being ranked 11th and being in the top five - or three - in the world."

Yes, Murray certainly knows his own mind but to some the problem lies in the fact that, at 20-years-old, he lacks experience and is prone to changing his mind frequently.

No one can deny that the Scot is a rare talent but he hasn't won a major title (although he has three ATP Tour titles to his name) and seems unable to forge lasting relationships with coaches at a key stage in his career.

Murray is also not shy in speaking his mind. He said he'd like to see "anyone but England" win the football World Cup and was fined US$ 2,500 for directing a verbal volley at an umpire in a Davis Cup tie - afterwards he refused to apologise. Murray's detractors see him as petulant, quick to tire and overrated on court and arrogant and precocious off it.

He's certainly not like Tim Henman - good-old redoubtable Tim would never swear at an umpire, sulk on-court when things didn't go his way or offend anyone on or off court.

Henman has many qualities that Murray would do well to take note of but despite achieving a top-ten ranking at the peak of his career Henman never looked equipped to become the world's best player.
Yes, Murray is self-assured and occasionally petulant but he's a tennis player not a politician. His faults and impressive talent all stem from a burning desire to win. You can't have one side of Murray without the other and why should anyone want to?

If Murray is to reach the top echelon of his sport he needs to continue to believe in his own talent and follow his own instincts. The media have their own agenda but we shouldn't believe everything we hear and read about him.

Murray only turned professional in 2005 and 6 months ago was ranked 8th in the world. In that short space of time he's beat Federer, Henman and narrowly lost to Nadal in a 5-set thriller. He's reached the fourth-round of every grand slam with the exception of the French Open and has a range of shots enabling him to compete at the highest level on any surface.

Can he make an impact at the Australian Open? Why not? This could be his break out year but either way backing him at [27] seems like a tempting longshot.

We do know that Murray, raised on the clay courts of Spain, can play baseline tennis with the best. We also know that he has the serve, volley and touch to play on grass and other fast surfaces.

Currently you can back Murray [8.2] to finish the season ranked 1-3 in the world or [4.4] to finish 4-6. I think he'll break the top ten but would back him [2.44] to finish ranked 7-10.

Have I placed too much faith in Murray? Let me know if you think he's a real contender?