Andy Murray’s partnership with Ivan Lendl helped the star become one of the best players on the ATP Tour.
Murray and Lendl worked together for their first stint between 2011 and 2014, a period which brought Murray the US Open in 2012 and his first Wimbledon in 2013.
The pair split in 2014 and Murray was on the hunt for another coach to help him continue his Grand Slam winning success.
Murray eventually opted for Amelie Mauresmo, but there were whispers about the star working with seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander.
Mats Wilander didn’t think he could help Andy Murray
Wilander ruled himself out of working with Murray in 2014 while the high-profile hunt for a new coach was at fever pitch.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the Swedish legend was unsure that he was the right fit for the US Open and Wimbledon winner.
He said: “I don’t necessarily think Andy needs to be thinking about former grand slam champions. But I think he needs to be thinking about somebody who has a much better second serve than I do, who knows about second serves, maybe to work with this person for six months, or on and off.
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“He also needs to be looking at himself in the mirror and saying, ‘do I really think winning tennis matches is more important now than before I won my first grand slam?’ If it isn’t, then it is to other players, and then you’re in trouble.”
Wilander has worked with Tatiana Golovin, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Madison Keys, and he led the Swedish Davis Cup team.
Mats Wilander questioned Andy Murray’s decision-making years later
Wilander might not have worked with Murray as a coach, but he kept his eye on the British star’s career as it was coming to an end.
He was particularly unhappy with Murray accepting a wild card for Roland Garros in 2020, when he lost to Stan Wawrinka in the first round.
The Swede said: “I keep getting a little disappointed, is it his right to be out there doing that? I did it and I shouldn’t have, it was the biggest mistake I did in my career.
“I think Murray needs to stop thinking of himself and start thinking about who he was. Does he have a right to be out there taking wild cards from the young players?”
Murray did not pay much attention to Wilander’s comments and continued to play professional tennis until 2024.
