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Dedicated Murray is unfairly criticised - Maclagan

Miles Maclagan worked with Andy Murray for almost three years © Getty Images

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Andy Murray's former coach, Miles Maclagan, believes the British No. 1 deserves greater credit for the dedication he shows to his tennis career.

Murray, who was knocked out of the recent Monte Carlo Masters by Rafael Nadal and is now awaiting an MRI scan on an injured elbow, is currently searching for a new coach amid criticism that he is a difficult player to work with. But Maclagan, who spent almost three years with the 23-year-old, believes it is wrong for the media to focus solely on the player's flaws.

"He's a very dedicated athlete," Maclagan told Sky Sports. "You don't see him falling out of nightclubs with a different woman every night. He trains very hard - he's not perfect all the time, he has his moments, but unfortunately they are there for the whole world to see."

Murray is searching for the fifth coach of his professional career, after parting company with Alex Corretja - the man who accelerated Maclagan's own departure - earlier this season. He has suggested he will work with his sponsor's team of coaches between certain events throughout 2011, a move that has surprised Maclagan considering Murray already has travelling companion Daniel Vallverdu to offer advice.

Maclagan believes Murray needs to sort out the organisational side of his team, rather than the coaching makeup, to inprove matters on and off the court.

"I'm a little bit surprised because he does have a guy [Vallverdu] travelling with him fulfilling all the coaching duties - scouting matches, arranging practice sessions - I think the coaching thing is sometimes overrated as at the right time the right coach could be anybody," he said.

"But I think for him the important thing is to have a structure in place. People need to know who is in charge of what aspect, and which channel information is going through."

After being beaten in the semi-finals by Rafael Nadal last week, Maclagan believes the Spaniard - who is still yet to reach his peak on the surface - will once again be the man everyone has to beat on clay.

"I don't think he is playing his best, which is possibly worrying for everybody else," Maclagan noted. "But the thing he doesn't have a problem with overall is his attitude - he's just a phenomenal player.

When asked if anyone could threaten the Spaniard at Roland Garros next month, Maclagan added: "It will be interesting to see how Novak Djokovic fares, as he's the form player currently."

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