Tennis: Coach Lundgren Put on Gardening Leave By Lta

The Lawn Tennis Association was fighting a damage-limitation exercise last night after news that the Davis Cup coach, Peter Lundgren, has been put on gardening leave to deal with a personal issue was described by one of his charges as "disgraceful".

Lundgren, a former coach of Roger Federer and Marat Safin, was given a month's leave of absence after his faltering performance at an LTA coaching conference on Saturday, during which he slurred his words.

In a statement the LTA said: "Peter Lundgren is on leave of absence for personal reasons and we look forward to him returning ahead of the Davis Cup tie in September."

One of the coaching galácticos hired by the LTA chief executive, Roger Draper, on a six-figure salary, Lundgren's performance was a major embarrassment but it is a mark of the esteem in which he is held that the LTA hopes to welcome him back in time for the Davis Cup tie with Serbia.

News of his immediate withdrawal was not welcomed by the British No5, Josh Goodall, who said that being told of Lundgren's absence 10 minutes before his first-round match contributed to his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 defeat by Spain's Feliciano Lopez yesterday.

"I've been working with Peter for the last year; I've got a great relationship with him," Goodall said. "For the first set my mind was completely elsewhere. I couldn't even think straight.

"I was so disappointed and angry that the LTA had done this before the biggest match in my career. The timing of it was absolutely disgraceful.

"I had different coaches coming up to me telling me different tactics to what I'd been working on with Peter. It was just too much. You can't walk on to a court against one of the best players in the world with this sort of news on your shoulders."

Chris Hutchins, the LTA's head of men's tennis and the Swede's superior, dismissed Goodall's complaint as part of a "blame culture" among under-achieving players.

"I do feel sorry for Josh. However, it was Josh who didn't go to see Peter at all during Queen's when Peter wanted him to practice and train," he said. "There is this blame culture going around British tennis, certain people who just love to blame the LTA. I'm getting pretty tired of it. People expect the LTA to be their lifeblood, to pay for too many things."