Wimbledon champion Andy Murray appointed former women's number one Amelie Mauresmo as his coach on Sunday in a rare move for a top player in the men's game. Former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Mauresmo will initially take up the role for the grasscourt season and will join the British number one at the Aegon Championships in London next week, his traditional warm up for Wimbledon.
As well as being an important step for Murray after the end of his successful partnership with Ivan Lendl in March, the new relationship will be closely watched in a sport where few top women, let alone men, have female coaches.
"Everyone I know talks very highly of Amelie, as a person and coach, and I'm convinced that her joining the team will help us push on - I want to win more grand slams," Murray said in a statement on his website. (www.andymurray.com)
Murray was coached for years by his mother Judy, Britain's Fed Cup captain, so having a woman in his camp will be nothing new for him even if it might raise eyebrows on the circuit.
Of the current women's top 20, none have female coaches although Germany's Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki has an informal relationship with former number one Martina Hingis.
Marion Bartoli, who beat Lisicki in the final but has since retired, also worked with French compatriot Mauresmo for a while having been coached throughout her career by father Walter.
On the men's tour, Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin has been coached by his now wife Anastasiia since 2009 and Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin is coached by his mother Klaudiya.
Mauresmo, speaking to reporters in Paris where she is working as a pundit during the French Open, played down the shock value.
"I guess it is a big story to write on and a step forward. But honestly, it's not my big concern right now," she said. "We all know his mother was a big part of his tennis career.
"I think he's maybe looking for something different, about emotions and sensitive things. It's not really interesting for me, this part of the story, to be honest. All I'm interested in is to be able to help him in his goals."
Judy Murray tweeted "Love it" in reaction to the appointment, announced just hours before the men's final in Paris, where Rafa Nadal, who demolished Murray in the semi-finals, was taking on old rival Novak Djokovic.
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