Aggressive tennis could net Murray a major
August 22, 2010 10:57:50 UK
Andy Murray's former coach Brad Gilbert insists the Scot is still on course to win a tennis major.
The world number four begins his bid to capture the US Open title at Flushing Meadows in just over a week and Gilbert says Murray's change to a more aggressive style of tennis is the right move to end Britain's 74-year wait for a men's Grand Slam singles champion.
Murray is 3.75 to win the US Open, with Roger Federer available at 3.25 and Rafael Nadal 3.75.
Gilbert, who coached Murray for 18 months before parting company with the British number one, said: "When I started coaching him almost five years ago he had this five-year plan that his game was going to blossom.
"He felt it was going to happen at the Australian Open (where he was beaten by Roger Federer in the final in January).
Everything was lined up and I think he had a hangover from that for about four or five months.
"I think now finally that he's changed his game, he's finally over that and at 23 years old he is coming into his own and now it's just a matter of getting to the finish line but he really believes he can do it."
Gilbert believes that Murray, who won the Toronto Masters earlier this month despite being still without a coach after releasing Miles Maclagan, accepts he needs to play more aggressively.
Gilbert told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "I have never seen Andy Murray play more positive and aggressive tennis than in Toronto. He did not rely on defence and it is so much more economical to play offensive tennis.
"By nature he likes to play defensive, he can weave tangled webs and get out of it, but it's so much more enjoyable and fun to play offensive and win offensive and that's what he's doing and that's what he needs to do to win majors."
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