Murray coach urged to get ugly

Brad Gilbert has been urged to show his ruthless streak as he sets about the mountainous task of rescing British tennis.

The American has been confirmed as the new coach of British number one Andy Murray and will also pursue a wider remit aimed at improving the LTA’s coaching structure.

LTA chief executive Roger Draper insisted Gilbert, who famously called his coaching manual Winning Ugly, must live up to his fearsome reputation to ensure success.

Draper said: “This is fantastic news both for Andy in terms of what he aspires to become within world tennis and for British tennis in general as we seek to get ourselves back on track.

“The confidence and belief levels in British tennis at the moment are very low and we have got to raise them by surrounding ourselves with proven winners and tough task-masters on and off the court.

“We have undoubtedly got the talent but maybe we have not had the right attitude. We need to be more focused, more determined and more ruthless in what we want to achieve.”