Miles Maclagan: Andy Murray's Secret Weapon

Andy Murray has been working with Zambian-born Scot and tennis coach Miles Maclagan since late 2007.  From that point Murray has seen his ranking and performance rise and rise.  

From May 11th Murray will be ranked No. 3 in the world.  His fantastic 2008 was marked with a magnificent 5 set comeback in the darkness against Richard Gasquet in Round Four of the Wimbledon Championships, reaching the final of the US Open (loosing to Roger Federer) and winning five ATP events. 

In 2009 he has continued to capitalize on his increasingly dominant position in the top four, becoming a real threat to Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (having now beaten all of these on several occasions).

Part of this phenomenal ascendancy can be attributed to his coach, Miles Maclagan.  

Born in 1974 in Zambia, he was raised in Zimbabwe and moved to Great Britain in 1988 to pursue his tennis career.  He played in three Davis Cup ties for Britain and managed to take Boris Becker to five sets at Wimbledon in 1999.  

At the end of 2007, Murray sacked American Brad Gilbert.  Famous for his advocacy of 'winning ugly', he was never one to act modestly or speak little.  Everything was big, brash, controversial.  

Polar opposite in character, then, to Maclagan. 

Maclagan's calm, modest nature has meant that he has not had the credit he has deserved for helping Murray to put together such successful seasons and continued results.  Not that the low-key Maclagan minds flying under the tennis radar.  

He his known for his thorough tactical strategies and this has proved instrumental in Murray managing to beat his toughest rivals on numerous occasions.  Still, Maclagan often gets overawed at his tasks and the heights of which his prodigy has reached.   

"At times, for example at the US Open, Andy had suddenly got to the final and I thought: 'Holy smoke, as far as coaching is concerned this is the sort of thing you dream about'. I hadn't realised it. We do talk among the team and when Andy's playing Federer in the final of a grand slam or in the semi-finals of a Masters Series, we sometimes have to pinch ourselves a little bit. It does hit you every now and then."

The admiration for the team members is mutual.  Maclagan is especially thrilled with Murray's undiminished lust for competition and success.  

"I thought a lot of Murray when we started and my respect for him has grown over the year, especially in the last few months. To have seen it from the inside has been incredible. It's not just on the tennis court that he's competitive, it's all-round. He finds a way to get into it and charges himself up," said Maclagan.

Wimbledon was the turning point for the Murray-Maclagan team last year.  

Perhaps this year's Championship will take them to an even higher level.