On the 7th July at 5.30pm history was made in South West London when 17.3 million viewers watched Andy Murray finally end the 77 year wait for a men’s Wimbledon champion. Tennis is not my favourite sport – it wouldn’t even make my top 10, but like many millions I had to watch and on many occasions found myself willing him to succeed. Rewind 12 months, Andy was playing in his first Wimbledon final, but he unfortunately lost to Roger Federer. Fast forward 12 months, he won Olympic gold, the US grand slam and finished the runner up in the Australian Open. So what happened? At the start of 2012 he was already in the top 4 of the world rankings and had won many titles but lost his first 4 grand slam finals in a row. In order to take the step up and become a Grand Slam winner in an era where 3 of the greatest tennis are currently playing, something drastic had to change.
Over the years Andy has had a variety of different coaches who have influenced and supported him through different periods. At the start of 2012 Andy appointed Ivan Lendl as his head coach. Ivan is a former professional tennis player who didn’t have a particularly strong coaching background but, like Andy, had lost his first 4 Grand Slams and so there seemed to be a mutual understanding between them. It has been documented that Ivan’s coaching approach is dry and straight to the point – but Andy certainly bought into that. Ivan would have worked with Andy on all aspects of his game and Andy is continually developing as a player but on Sunday we saw two things that really changed his game.
Firstly, his fitness; Andy played in extreme heat while displaying huge amounts of energy and strength against the top player in the world. Ivan, with the rest of the his coaching team, have put together a rigorous fitness programme incorporating Bikram Yoga that prepared Andy for the gruelling match at the end of an intense championship. Secondly, his determination and mental strength shone through, winning the hearts of many eagerly watching on. Andy is clearly a very focused and determined individual who is very animated on the court. In the past, when he has faced difficult situations, his emotions have been very visible, and he has been known to bring his emotional troubles into the next game or set.
On a number of occasions in the past a mistake would have a detrimental effect on the rest of his performance, especially against a top player. Being mentally tough is vital for success in all aspects of life and it can make the difference of winning and losing a game. Ivan’s survival strategy for Andy seems to have focused on playing one point at a time and if you make a mistake move on and make sure you win the next. Throughout the final Andy demonstrated incredible mental toughness in defining moments – the last game in the third really stood out. On a number of occasions he was one point from losing the last game of the set, but he never gave up and went on to win the Championship. If he had lost that game, would he have won the Championship? In one post- game interview, Andy stated that he wasn’t sure how he would have reacted if he lost that crucial game but it didn’t matter. At the same time, he credited all his previous coaches to his development throughout his career, although Ivan looks like to have had the defining influence.
It can be very difficult to define how much a coach has improved performance, if it is 5, 10 or 20%. At the elite level, if the difference is just 1 or 2%, this can make all the difference, and you can become a legend. This statement is true – behind every great sport professional is a great coach.
Ian is a Consultant at Macmillan Davies and is wondering what happens to the used tennis balls used at Wimbledon?
Here’s the answer: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/tennis/features/newsid_2997000/2997504.stm
