Father and Daughter Wozniacki Check out the Scene in Indian Wells (Gudris)
A weary and beleaguered United Kingdom woke up this morning to a welcome ray of hope from a three month long nightmare that has threatened to undermine the sanity of every citizen living there. No I’m not talking about Prince William’s receding hairline but the ongoing search to find someone, somewhere to coach Andy Murray.
That long search, that has included a list of names with some of the greatest players of all time, has ended it seems, for the moment at least, with a compromise solution that appears to satisfy both Murray and his many worried fans and sponsors. In an interview posted today with the BBC’s Piers Newbery, Murray announced that he has decided that until he finds a long term coach that can travel with him full time, he will rely on the assistance and advice of the Adidas player development team that includes well-known coaches Darren Cahill and Sven Groeneveld among others.
One name that was left out of the conversation but shouldn’t be overlooked is Piotr Wozniacki, the coach of his daughter and current World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. I mention “Papz Woz” as he is affectionately known, because he seems to fit the unofficial criteria many critics and astute observers of the sport feel is needed in Murray’s next coach if Murray has any hope at all of winning another match this year, let alone a Grand Slam title.
1) Wozniacki is already associated with Adidas who also sponsors his daughter so there would be no conflict of interest there. Although he might have to wear some of those awful lime green shirts Murray’s been forced to wear on court. But hey, they’re free.
2) Wozniacki is a former professional football player and since Murray is a huge football fan himself, at least they would have something to talk about during long flights to tournaments.
3) Wozniacki could be the “father figure” some feel Murray needs in a coach instead of a “band of mates” as many described his last coaching/training team headed up by former coach Miles MacLagan. Wozniacki fits that bill perfectly as he can be both stern and gentle when need be, like he is with his daughter during their on-court coaching sessions.
4) Having Wozniacki coach Murray full-time would force his daughter to not rely on her father as much, allowing her to become more independent and enhance her status as the best women’s player in the world. Ok, that probably wouldn’t happen but hey, it’s nice to dream.
Am I joking when I say all of this? Sort of. The amount of handwringing and angst expressed about Murray and his “issues” is bordering on comedy at the moment but unless someone has a better person in mind to help out poor “Muzz”, don’t be so quick to write off the idea of seeing Piotr Wozniacki yell out “Ahndrew, Ahndrew, Ahndrew” in the middle of an important match later this year. After all, Adidas said they were “all in” with their players. I guess we’re about to find out how literal that phrase could mean in the next few months.
Adjusting the Net 