There's no obvious home for this article from Stu Fraser's regular "The Slice" column in today's Times, so I thought I'd start this thread, which Jaggy can safely avoid! 

Canadian coach, Louis Cayer, who turned Britain into a doubles powerhouse

There are many areas in British tennis that are in need of much improvement, but doubles is certainly not one of them. With Joe Salisbury and Jamie Murray both contesting grand-slam finals in Melbourne this weekend, the Australian Open has given us another indication of how this country punches above its weight when four players are on a court rather than two.  When asking several figures involved with the British game as to why this is the case, the name of Louis Cayer is repeatedly mentioned. The 66-year-old Canadian has worked with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) since 2007 and has a wealth of experience as a coach, stretching back to his teenage years. Judy Murray asked Cayer to work with Jamie when he was 20 years old and he has since gone on to win seven grand-slam titles

Cayer, who acts as an adviser for players alongside their regular coaches, will sit in Rod Laver Arena twice this weekend, watching Salisbury take part in the men's doubles final and Murray in the mixed final. These are the fruits of his labour, as well as the total of eight British men ranked in the top 100 of the world doubles rankings - Salisbury, Murray, Neal Skupski, Luke Bambridge, Ken Skupski, Dominic Inglot, Jonny O'Mara and Andy Murray. Only the United States can match that. "All the British guys are doing so well," Salisbury said. "Louis had has a big impact. He comes to the big events, we train with him back home and in between tournaments. He's an incredible coach, the best coach I have worked with. Not just in terms of the doubles side with the tactics, but also technically and mentally as well. He's improved everybody's game a lot."

Cayer worked in his home country for many years and captained the Canadian Davis Cup team from 1994 to 2000. And then, at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2006, came a moment that would ultimately transform the fortunes of doubles in Britain.  Cayer, working at the time with the Israeli pair of Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram, was spotted on the practice court by Judy Murray, who was fascinated by his methods. She asked him if she could help her elder son, Jamie, aged 20 at the time and ranked outside the top 200. Jamie has since won seven grand-slam titles and spent nine weeks as world No 1.

"His ability to improve a player is unparalleled," Jamie said. "He teaches feels [did Jamie mean "feel"?] as opposed to technical thoughts, because when you are out there competing, it is more about the feeling of the technique rather than trying to remember to have your elbow at a certain angle or to bend your knees 'this much'. He teaches a lot about rhythm and timing. This helps you perform. If your head is cluttered with loads of technical points, then it's just not going to leave you free to play."

Some coach!