Matosevic not following Murray lead

Marinko Matosevic dispatched 2012 winner Marin Cilic at the Queen’s Club Aegon Championships – then admitted he could never follow Andy Murray and be coached by a woman.

The 28-year-old Australian saw off the ninth-seed Croatian 6-4 6-4 in a big first-round upset in Kensington on Tuesday, then conceded he could not be coached by the likes of Amelie Mauresmo.

Murray’s decision to replace Ivan Lendl with former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Mauresmo has polarised locker room opinion, but Matosevic is the first frontline player to admit openly he could not countenance employing a female coach.

The world number 60 believes the strength of the women’s game does not lend itself to first-class men’s coaching.

“Apparently there’s a few guys in the top 100 who are coached by women.

“(Mikhail) Kukushkin is coached by his wife, Denis Istomin by his mum, she’s done a great job with him,” said Matosevic.

“For me, I couldn’t do it, since I don’t think that highly of the women’s game.

“But his mum coached him and she did a great job with him, so we’ll see what happens.

“It’s all equal rights these days, you’ve got to be politically correct, so someone’s got to give it a go – it won’t be me.”

Matosevic conceded 34 world ranking places against Cilic but was never deterred against the 25-year-old, coached by Goran Ivanisevic.

Matosevic said coach Mark Woodforde has challenged him to be more assertive on court, and favour the serve-volley game.

“It’s about being aggressive,” he said.

“All the older Aussies came forward, and the match was on their racquet, they were very attacking players because they grew up on grass.

“It’s kind of got lost in the last decade since (Pat) Rafter retired, and (Lleyton) Hewitt was playing a different style, so it got lost I guess.”