Andy Murray has asked Miles Maclagan, the former Great Britain Davis Cup player who was born in Zambia of Scottish parents, to spend three weeks with him at a training camp in Florida with a view to joining the team designed to take the British No 1 to the next stage of his tennis development.

Maclagan flew to the United States yesterday, excited at the opportunity to get to know Murray better, getting used to his manner and his modus operandi as the 20-year-old prepares mind and body to embark on what is being billed as a great year of opportunity. If the two really hit it off — they have an excellent relationship already but one not tested by one working for the other — it could become a permanent arrangement.

Two weeks ago — as exclusively revealed in The Times — Murray chose to part company after 16 months with Brad Gilbert, who will remain on the LTA’s payroll for 20 weeks in 2008, to help to oversee the careers of Alex Bogdanovic, the 23-year-old British No 2, and others “in his age group” striving to improve their rankings and tour prospects. Gilbert has thus far refused all requests to discuss the parting of the ways, although he has confided that he did not see it coming.

Maclagan would offer a different approach. Quiet, unassuming but with a smashing manner and big heart, he could be the kind of person to bring the best out of Murray. And anyone whose parents’ names are Ramsay and Elsie ought to go down well in the Murray household.

Remarkably, in his column in The Sunday Times two years ago, Pat Cash, the former Wimbledon singles champion, suggested that the pair should link up. He wrote: “Some might view my tip as off the wall, but I would nominate Miles Maclagan, the former British Davis Cup player who is doing a good job coaching the highly ranked doubles duo of Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett. Miles may not have been a great player, but few of the really top coaches managed to hit the high spots. However, he is hard-working, diligent, extremely aware technically and works closely with Moose Stevens, a former Aussie Rules footballer who is one of the best fitness experts on the tour. And he’s Scottish.”

When Black and Ullyett went their separate ways, Maclagan coached the partnership of Ullyett and Paul Hanley, the Australian, and the pair ended this season ranked No 4 in the Stanford ATP doubles rankings and qualified for the Masters Cup in Shanghai this month. Now that partnership has split, with Ullyett joining forces with Jonas Björkman, the Swede, which left Maclagan searching for a new role.

Murray has said that he wanted to take his career on with someone he knows and as Hanley and Ullyett played in the leading tournaments across the world, Maclagan was a constant presence in the same locker-rooms and dining-rooms where the Scot worked and relaxed.

The 33-year-old has been part of the Davis Cup coaching set-up, having joined the squad in Ukraine last year and played in three ties for Britain, notably partnering Tim Henman to a doubles victory over Paradorn Srichaphan and Danai Udomchoke, of Thailand, in Birmingham five years ago, before deciding to set out on his coaching career.

In Florida, Murray will be working on his new physical regimen with Matt Little and Jez Green, the latter of whom has also been working recently at an academy in Monte Carlo run by Dave Sammel, a former LTA coach who used to teach Maclagan. It is all starting to make perfect sense.

Back catalogue

— Born on September 23, 1974 in Zambia, where his father worked as an accountant and his mother was a school teacher.

— Won a satellite doubles event in Israel with Tim Henman in 1993. Reached final of British National Championships in 1994, losing to Jeremy Bates. Won first singles title in Istanbul Challenger in 1995.

— Highest career rankings were No 172 in singles in August 1995 and No 200 in doubles in October 1994. Made his Davis Cup debut for Great Britain against Slovakia in 1995; played in three ties.