Andy Murray: Coach will come from list of 'seven or eight' candidates

Andy Murray says he has whittled down his list of potential new coaches to "seven or eight" candidates.

Asked when he would like to get the man in place, Murray told BBC Scotland: "Or woman ... there's seven or eight people I've got down on a list just now."

The British number one, whose mother Judy is herself a tennis coach, wants to appoint a successor to Ivan Lendl before defending his Wimbledon title.

Murray's partnership with the former world number one ended last month.

The Scot, who was back home in Dunblane to receive the freedom of Stirling and an honorary degree, next plays at the Madrid Masters on 5 May as he prepares for the French Open later that month.

"In a perfect world, I would have someone in place before the French Open, but it's hard because there a lot of things that go into it with contracts and finances and stuff like that," he explained.

"It is about speaking to a few people trying to find the right fit.

"I hadn't done that until 10 days ago. I wanted to concentrate on a few tournaments . Now I've had a bit of a break, I've had a chance to do that."

Murray has not yet decided whether to choose a renowned coach or go down the route of appointing a former top professional.

"It could be either," he said. "It's about how the two of you get on, how they see your game and how you are developing and the amount of time they can give you to do the job properly.

"They also need to fit in with the team because I'm not going to clear out all of the guys I work with and bring a coach in who wants to do things completely differently."

Murray explained that he did not have to formally interview all those on his list.

"You don't necessarily have to speak to that person," he said. "There's a few other people you can chat to to find out whether they'd be interested and whether they would be capable of giving the time.

"There's people on there you don't know that well, so it's good to get opinions from other people.

"That can help form a decision to get down to a smaller number on the shortlist. Then you end up speaking to a couple of people and decide on the person that you like the most and think would be the right fit."