Andy Murray’s breakthrough in 2005 saw him become one of the most hotly-tipped players in the sport.
Murray burst onto the scene at Wimbledon, a tournament he would eventually win on two occasions in 2013 and 2016.
The Scot had raw talent as a teenager, but he needed a coach who would help him become a world beater in tennis.
Murray approached an American tennis legend to coach him in 2006, but the future three-time Grand Slam champion was rejected.
Larry Stefanki turned down the chance to coach Andy Murray
After his breakthrough in 2005, Murray was on the hunt for a major tennis coach to take him to the next level.
He initially asked Larry Stefanki, who had previously worked with John McEnroe, Marcelo Rios, and Tim Henman.
Stefanki turned down Murray and instead opted to work with Fernando Gonzalez between 2006 and 2008.
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In 2009, the American coach started working with Andy Roddick when Murray was reaching the peak of his powers.
The two men met in the Wimbledon semi-final in 2009 and Stefanki explained why he turned down the Scot.
At the tournament, Stefanki said: “He was too weak and too young. And I didn’t fancy all the baggage I knew would go with the job.”
He did, however, concede that he knew Murray would be destined for tennis greatness. “But I was always certain he would be a top-10 player. He was a boy then. Now he is a man.”
Murray lost to Roddick in the Wimbledon semi-final in four sets. It would be a further four years before the Scot would win his first tournament at SW19.
Who coached Andy Murray after the Larry Stefanki rejection?
Murray eventually opted for Brad Gilbert to coach him in 2006 after he had split with fellow Brit Mark Petchey.
The Scot achieved a then career-high ranking of no. 8 under the tutelage of the coach, who had previously worked with Andre Agassi and Roddick.
| Andy Murray’s coaches | Year |
| Leon Smith | 1998-2004 |
| Pat Alvarez | 2003-2005 |
| Mark Petchey | 2005-2006 |
| Brad Gilbert | 2006-2007 |
| Miles Maclagan | 2007-2010 |
| Alex Corretja | 2010-2011 |
| Ivan Lendl | 2011-2014, 2016-2017, and 2022-2023 |
| Amelie Mauresmo | 2014-2016 |
| Jonas Bjorkman | 2015 |
| Jamie Delgado | 2016-2021 |
| Dani Vallverdu | 2022 |
Murray won three tournaments under Gilbert, but he didn’t truly become a world-beater until he joined forces with Ivan Lendl between 2011 and 2014.
The star won two of his three Grand Slams under the Czech coach, including the US Open in 2012 and his first Wimbledon title.
