Serving up a generation of Andy Murrays

IT'S crunch time in SW19. This afternoon, before the sun goes down over the green, green grass of centre court – or possibly over its swanky new roof if the expected rain arrives – we will know whether Andy Murray has become the first British man to reach the singles final of Wimbledon since Bunny Austin in 1938.

It's safe to say most people, even those who normally give sporting activities of all hues a bit of a bodyswerve, will be glued to the TV, radio or internet, riveted by every thwack and grunt.

Marcel Du Coudray, though, has even more motivation than most tennis fans for willing Murray on to victory. The South African-born head coach at the Scottish Tennis Academy in Edinburgh is charged with producing a generation of champions to eventually take the baton from the 22-year-old from Dunblane.

"The Murray effect is our X-factor in Scottish tennis at the moment," he explains.

"Being a relatively small community like Scotland has its benefits in that youngsters push each other that bit harder.

"But what can't be under- estimated is the desire to be associated with winning and positive people – and Andy fits that bill," he adds, as he surveys the hectic scene at the Craiglockhart Centre where national championships are currently being played.

According to Du Coudray, a 31-year-old who played Davis Cup tennis for his father's native Mauritius, the more victories Murray can stockpile, the more the new generation will take note.

"Credit to Andy for the way he has worked on the psychological side of things. He endears himself to people in that he looks, even when down, to be fighting to turn matches around."

The message is that Murray's effect as a role model is being seen at the academy with proteges nowadays more inclined to stay focused than be distracted by line-call decisions.

What Murray also embodies, Du Coudray says, is the characteristics needed in professional sport, some of them not normally associated with Scots.

"In the last two years the transition I have seen in Andy Murray's approach has been amazing while retaining his passion.

"I've heard it said a lot of times that people here tend to like the underdog status and are uncomfortable as the favourite. Andy has turned that on its head."

This, according to Du Coudray, has contributed to Scotland having players regularly climbing the UK age-group rankings.

These include Edinburgh-trained Alice Keddie, the British number three girl at under-14 level, while her 15-year-old old compatriot, Morven McCulloch, has been selected to compete at the European Olympic Youth Festival in Finland next month.

"In some respects, life in Britain is very easy, which makes it harder for youngsters to show the same competitive ferocity as, say, the Russians who proliferate in the women's game or the Spanish male players who are utterly dedicated" he says.

Many of those Russians have developed infuriating tendencies to grunt loudly when hitting the ball – a situation that caused one commentator to remark that Wimbledon should have fitted double glazing.

"It would make sense to point out that grunting never happens so much on the practise courts," Du Coudray says.

He cites former world number one Carlos Moya's efforts to help the young Rafael Nadal – the reigning, but injured, Wimbledon champion – as an example of the importance of mentoring emerging talent.

He goes on: "I have seen first-hand the effort that has gone in to the making of Nikolay Davydenko, the world number 11. We struck up a relationship when I was at a Polish tournament as he needed a practice partner.

"We have kept in touch through his run to a couple of men's grand slam tournament semi-finals, including at a three-week training camp leading into the Australian Open a few years ago.

"Nikolay has constantly toiled to reward a mother who worked as a welder and a dad who was in the steel mills for their financial support, including when he left home aged 11 to live and practise in Germany, but the same can be done in British culture from which Andy Murray has emerged showing the necessary drive and determination."

On the subject of financial support, tennis continues to come under fire for being elitist – a criticism which Du Coudray feels is unfair. "Yes, tennis requires an outlay on rackets, balls, court hire, etc, in comparison to, say, football, but to say nobody can make the grade without a lot of money behind them is untrue.

For a kid with talent to play all the local tournaments and a few abroad would cost between £2,000 and £5,000 a year. The elitist tag can still apply in some respects but that situation is changing."

Inevitably, outlays have led to pushy parents to demand success beyond young players' ability. Du Coudray insists this approach is always counter-productive.

"It is a difficult one because I am not in the business of chasing people away from tennis.

"Ultimately the youngster will decide and say 'thanks, but I don't want to be involved any more' if pushed too hard."

Involvement was always something Du Coudray craved from when he took up the sport relatively late, aged 12.

"I worked very hard to catch up and found myself in the top 20 South African juniors by age 18, alongside Wesley Moodie, who went on to win the 2005 Wimbledon mens' doubles title. Later I moved into coaching and it was while attending a tournament in Poland that I met Monica, a tennis administrator who was to become my wife, and we settled in South Africa.

"In Pretoria the lifestyle can be appealing but it can also be very dangerous.

"It was difficult for a European to adjust and rather than be prisoners in our own home surrounded by security we looked abroad.

"I was always keen to work with kids who wanted to play professional tennis and the opening of the Scottish Academy provided my opportunity.

"Being a new venture, too, meant that I could put my own imprint on things.

"In British tennis there could always be more facilities and there could always be more funding."

Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe is the latest public figure to lambast tennis for not doing more to encourage a winning culture in threatening to cut funding.

"I don't like saying it too often, but doing everything it takes is the necessary attribute and that comes down to the individual – although there is a line which separates that approach from win-at-all-costs which is obviously unacceptable.

"For those that do make the grade in tennis they need to be aware how tough a career path they have chosen but they will be thoroughly well rewarded."

SPECIAL SERVICE
THE Scottish National Tennis Academy opened in September 2007. It is a joint venture involving St George's and Merchiston Castle Schools in Edinburgh as well as Tennis Scotland.

For the 2009-10 academic year there will be 23 pupils. They come from Scotland, England and Germany.

Ages range from 8-18 in non-residential and residential courses. Courses integrate tennis into academic work, with sports facilities available at Craiglockhart, Stirling tennis centre and Merchiston Castle.

There are two levels: the Challenger Course for players hoping to gain college or university tennis scholarships, and the Tour Course for those keen to enter the professional circuit.