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ANDY MURRAY is close to appointing a new coach having identified the person he wants to succeed Ivan Lendl, the British number one said yesterday.
The Wimbledon champion began his search in earnest early last month after the announcement in March that his hugely successful two-year partnership with Lendl had ended.
Many names have been linked with the post but the amount of time Murray expects to be committed to the role would prove an obstacle to most.
Murray confirmed he has one name in mind and he has held talks with that person, although no deal has yet been offered or agreed.
The Scot told the BBC: “ There’s always a few complications but as long as the desire from both people is to work together then hopefully it can happen soon.
“I wouldn’t expect anything over the next few days, obviously.
“(It’ll be) whenever it’s right, basically. For me, it’s not about rushing into something. It’s about getting it right, getting the right person. Until that’s the case, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing with the guys I’m working with.
“There are also people that I can speak to about things. I have met a lot of good people that I respect and listen to their opinions on the tennis tour. I’m not in a panic to get someone, but it’s a lot closer than it was.”
Murray found out his opponent for the first round of the French Open yesterday.
Kazakh Andrey Golubev will be first up, with German-Jamaican Dustin Brown or Australian Marinko Matosevic potential second-round opponents.
From there it gets tougher. Talented German Philipp Kohlschreiber is the first seed he could meet in the third round while Australian Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka is a potential quarter-final opponent and he is in the same half as reigning eight-time champion Rafael Nadal.
And James Ward became the first British man in more than 40 years to make it through qualifying.
The 27-year-old said: “It’s massive because it's a Grand Slam. It’s the reason you play tennis. It’s special.”
Heather Watson also reached the final qualifying round. She was due to face world number 188 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia today.
