Few breakups ever really are mutual.
Though Andy Murray and coach Amelie Mauresmo said their split after nearly two years together was “mutual,” Mauresmo told L’Equipe that the tennis star’s demonstrative on-court behavior toward his box played a large part in her no longer wanting to continue their working relationship.
Mauresmo, a former world No. 1, initially cited her son’s recent birth as the main reason for leaving, wanting to spend more time with her family.
“Andy is complex. On the court, he can be the opposite of what he is in life. It can be confusing,” Mauresmo said. “I was there to help. I had the feeling I could not get things done. I had the impression we got to the end of what could be done professionally. It was concluded that it would be difficult to continue.
“I just reduced my number of weeks of attendance since the last Australian Open and we actually spent little time together. It turns out that it was a difficult time for him, I could not help him. But this decision [to end the collaboration] was initiated some time ago.”
Murray, the No. 2 player in the world and coming off a Rome final win over No. 1 Novak Djokovic, acknowledged he has trouble controlling his emotions on the court, but doesn’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
“I don’t think staying completely silent is a good thing for me,” Murray said heading into the French Open, according to The Telegraph. “You have to find the point of balance, the right amount. I don’t find them every day, but for three weeks I have been getting there.”
Mauresmo stopped coaching him three weeks ago, and former British player Jamie Delgado has taken over a bigger role in Murray’s camp. Murray is said to be looking for a full-time replacement for Mauresmo.
“In recent weeks I’ve done some good work on my attitude,” Murray said. “It’s true, emotions overtake me sometimes on court. I am emotional, I know that. Some people say it’s positive when I don’t show my emotions, when I control them completely. Others say the opposite. It’s very difficult to place [say] where the truth is.
“Sometimes I am embarrassed. You have to try to understand that, on the court, a lot of things are happening to us. The way in which you react is not necessarily linked to what you really think, on reflection. That’s sport. It’s tough, there’s pressure, it’s not perfect. And then, when I say what I say, just because I am speaking in the direction of my box it doesn’t mean it’s against my coach or my team. It’s very often self-criticism. I am having a go at myself. But I’m not resigning myself to this being unchangeable. I’ve been working on it for years, I am trying to be better.”