Andy Murray was somewhat unfortunate to have competed in an era alongside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Murray, an outstanding player who won three Grand Slam titles, competed with three players who all won 20 or more majors during their respective careers.
Murray was the fourth-best player on the ATP Tour for a number of years and often struggled to defeat his rivals on the biggest stages.
The Brit lost eight Grand Slam finals during his career, all of which were against either Djokovic or Federer.
Most tennis fans would consider Murray to be in a tier below the ‘big three.’ However, one notable coach disagreed with this notion in 2011.
Pato Alvarez said Andy Murray was better than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
William [Pato] Alvarez was one of the most well-respected coaches in tennis history, having been the national coach of Spain for 16 years.
Alvarez, who was Colombian-born, was an eight-time Colombian national champion.
During his coaching career, Alvarez was a key figure at the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Spain. Through his academy work, the Colombian-Spaniard worked with Gilles Muller, Grigor Dimitrov and Andy Murray.
In 2011, Alvarez discussed his time working with Murray, who he described as the ‘best player’ he had ever worked with.
Alvarez went as far as to say Murray was a better player than Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
All three of these players had won multiple Grand Slams at this point in time. Murray did not win his first until the 2012 US Open.
“I was the national coach of Spain for 16 years, and Andy Murray is the best player I ever worked with,” Alvarez told BBC Sport in 2011.
“You can’t go wrong with Murray. He’s the best there is. He’s a better player than Nadal and the other top guys.”
The interviewer replied: “Better than Nadal? Better than Federer? Better than Djokovic?”
Alvarez responded: “Sure, sure. He’s more explosive. He has a better backhand. He has a better serve.”
Emilio Sanchez Vicario [pictured below, left], the part namesake of the Sanchez-Casal Academy, also discussed his time working with Murray.
He said: “He was very quiet and shy when he first arrived.
“I remember trying to push him around the court the first time I hit with him, to see how he would respond. No matter what kind of shot I gave him, he always found a solution.
“That was when I realised how talented he was.”
Pato Alvarez, described as ‘the legend that changed Spanish tennis’ on the Emilio Sanchez Academy website, sadly passed away in 2022 at the age of 87.
When did Murray train in Spain?
When Murray was 15 years old, he made the brave decision to relocate, leaving his home of Scotland.
The Brit moved to Barcelona to train at the Sánchez-Casal Academy.
In 2022, Murray told Hello! Magazine that Rafael Nadal was the inspiration behind his move to Spain.
He said: “Rafa and I are good friends and we have been since we were young.
“We’ve grown up in competition together and hearing about his training set-up in Spain was a pivotal moment for me.
“He was able to practice so much more than me and hitting with Top 100 players when he was 14/15, I knew instantly I would have to change my set-up in the UK.
“I called my mum that night and told her I’d made my mind up, I was moving to Spain!”
