IN Canada, they used to call him "The Doctor". In Britain they call him "The Professor". In tennis they just call him "Mr Fixit". Whatever you call him (and he responds best to "Louis"), Louis Cayer is the technical and tactical magician hired by th
e LTA to bring the best out of players and coaches alike.
A quiet and thoughtful man, Cayer is a key part of Team Murray, the squad of experts Andy Murray has gathered around him to guide him up the rankings. He is also Jamie Murray's doubles coach and is hard at work to bring the elder Murray brother and his new partner, Max Mirnyi, together as a cohesive unit, one he believes could qualify for the Masters Cup in Shanghai at the end of the year.
Originally from Montreal, Cayer is a rare mix of high-performance coach to the top players and educational specialist who teaches coaches how best to teach tennis. As a result, he can see any problem from both sides and, with the sort of diplomatic skills the UN would pay money for, can solve it through a combination of tuition, encouragement and training the player and the coach to think for themselves.
"I prefer doctor – professor makes me feel older," the 55-year-old Cayer said, mulling over his moniker. "I'm very, very conscious of empowering the athlete and developing the performer in tennis. Of course, I'll give them the knowledge of tennis that they need but first I will teach them to be a performer in tennis. I think, unconsciously, they think that I'm coaching them as a person and not just as a player."
The former captain of the Canadian Davis Cup team and the former head coach of Tennis Canada, Cayer coached Sébastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor to the Olympic gold medal in 2000 and then took Nestor on to be the world No.1 in doubles.
Meticulous in his preparation and exact in his analysis, Cayer leaves nothing to chance. He talks endlessly about "patterns" – patterns of play to bring the best from his charge, patterns of play to bring the worst out of the opposition. But if he demands a lot from himself, Cayer also expects a lot from his players. "You need a competitive athlete, playing smart with effective strokes," he said. "So if someone is not competitive, or in training is not really there, there is no point in coaching. If they don't bring their intensity or what I call their athletic look, there is not point in working. If you're tired, go to sleep, go rest.
"You have to play smart. I will not try to correct technique if you try to hit the line and you miss by three inches. There's no problem with your technique – you just shouldn't have tried that shot.
"You have to play smart. And when everything is there – when the focus is there, the effort is there, the right play, the right intention is there – only then will I work on technique."
Both Murray brothers clearly passed muster with the Canadian, particularly Jamie. He has been working with Britain's top doubles player for 18 months and so far Jamie has achieved every target set for him. Last year, the goal was to break into the world's top 30 and Murray finished the year ranked No.32. As Murray climbed through the rankings, so Cayer knew he would need a new partner to make the next breakthrough and although the Booty and Stretch combo with Eric Butorac had been successful, it was dissolved and the search began for a new face to help Murray to reach the top. As it turned out, attracting potential partners was not difficult thanks to Murray's record and profile.
"Jamie is well recognised on the tour because last year he won one challenger, three tour events – Nottingham, Memphis and San Jose – and the mixed doubles at Wimbledon," Cayer said. "That's what interested Max to play with him. When he sees a guy who wins five tournaments – he was in five finals and won the five events – that shows something. It shows he's a winner who likes the big matches, the big moments." The biggest moment was winning his first Grand Slam title with Jelena Jankovic. The mixed doubles may not be the most important event at the major championships and Murray and Jankovic may have giggled and flirted their way to the silverware, but there is a serious side to the competition.
"I think it's a big, big, big boost," Cayer said. "Plus it sends a message: people know that you have to be a winner to be able to do that. Jamie beat Jonas Bjorkman in the final, beat Daniel Nestor in the semi-final. He beat very good players all the way through. So of course it makes him feel good."
The win also stopped the teasing on the practise courts. Cayer puts Murray through a series of very specific drills in training, routines that the other doubles teams think look a little silly. And, boys being boys, they have told Murray exactly what they think of them. "Now nobody can laugh at it, they try to copy it," Cayer said. "The drill increases the reflexes and Jamie was very, very dominating at the net. To be Wimbledon champion, it's there for life now."
The Australian Open may not have been the happiest of hunting grounds for the Murray brothers this year but with one grand slam title already in the bank and with Cayer's detailed planning behind them, the remaining three grand slam tournaments could be the perfect stage for Mr Fixit's boys to perform.
The full article contains 963 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
