Andy Murray to try out Jonas Bjorkman as coaching support

Jonas Bjorkman cannot team up with Murray this week as he is in Sweden’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’

Jonas Bjorkman (GETTY IMAGES)

Andy Murray, who at this week’s Indian Wells Masters is working with Amélie Mauresmo for the first time since the Australian Open, is hoping that an upcoming trial period with Jonas Bjorkman will lead to the former world No 4 joining his permanent entourage.

Murray has been looking for additional coaching support ever since parting company with Dani Vallverdu three months ago. Mauresmo is spending around 25 weeks of the year with Murray, so there will be periods when she will not be travelling with him.

Murray said: “I feel like there are some things I need to work on all the time and when I don’t have someone there, it’s harder to do that.”

Bjorkman, a 42-year-old former Wimbledon semi-finalist who won nine Grand Slam doubles titles, jointly runs a coaching academy.The Swede will probably only join Murray at the Miami Masters, which follows Indian Wells, because he is currently involved in Sweden’s equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing.

After a first-round bye in Indian Wells, Murray will play his first match this weekend against either Vasek Pospisil or Mikhail Kukushkin. He is then seeded to meet Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round, Ernests Gulbis in the fourth, Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals and Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

James Ward, Murray’s Davis Cup colleague, was hoping to join the Scot in the main draw by winning his final match in qualifying tonight against Germany’s Mischa Zverev.