Murray can learn from Lendl

When Andy Murray kicks off what promises to be the most fascinating of player-coach relationships with Ivan Lendl in Melbourne next week there will be no standing on ceremony. The 24-year-old Scot, who opens his season today at the relatively low-key ATP event in Brisbane, made it clear yesterday he will not be afraid to get the unvarnished truth from his new mentor. Speaking of their recent meeting in Florida to discuss the arrangement, Murray said: "He was just a very honest guy, which is very important because not everybody is like that. A lot of people are too nice sometimes, they just don't want to upset you or say the wrong things, but he was very honest, very open." This sounds like a promising start to what is a high-stakes partnership for both men. Murray, 25 in May, knows this year offers the best prospect of him winning a Grand Slam, while Lendl, who has not coached at elite level, will want to prove himself with the enormous amount of raw material now in his hands. This lack of coaching experience may not be too relevant and the question will be whether Murray, who until now has always preferred to run his own show and been sceptical of outside advice, can open himself to the vast amount of knowledge 51-year-old Lendl has to offer. His main job will be to coax the performance of a lifetime out of Murray when it most matters. In so many Grand Slams the British No 1 has played brilliantly, and often courageously, to reach the business end of a tournament before falling flat against one of his main rivals. Critically, Lendl has a unique perception of that, having lost four major finals before coming good and winning eight of them. Another great advantage is that Lendl's presence will divert some of the attention and pressure away from his charge, who inevitably feels the burden of trying to become Britain's first male Slam victor since Fred Perry. Murray will have to respect his technical know-how and one interesting area of work will be the serve, for Lendl, like Murray, tended to have a first-serve percentage around the mid to late fifties, and should understand how best to address that. In theory they have much in common: both are intelligent, analytical, have a touch of the outsider, are ferociously hard workers with a much sunnier side off the court that contrasts with a miserable demeanour upon it. But these relationships can be snagging and intense, they are from different generations and it is a big culture change for Murray. Nobody can be sure how this will work out, which will make it all the more gripping.