Ivan Ljubicic - No more coaching job after Roger Federer
Ivan Ljubicic has a very precise plan for the coming years - and after Roger Federer's career has ended, this will no longer include a position as coach on the ATP tour.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jul 15, 2020, 12:31 pm
If you are looking for the reasons for Roger Federer's rebirth as Grand Slam Champion at the Australian Open in early 2017, you will quickly find Ivan Ljubicic's influence. The improved backhand, rather the more offensive position from which Federer suddenly exploited the supposedly weaker stroke to points, may largely be due to the influence of Ljubicic. Especially since the Croatian was also a master of one-handed backhand in his active time, which led him to second place in the ATP world rankings.
The liaison with Federer is not the first to connect Ljubicic as a coach with a top player on the ATP tour. But it will be the last, as he told the Novi List newspaper. "Roger will be my last coaching job," said Ljubicic. After that, he wanted to devote himself 100% to the all-inclusive management of younger players like Borna Coric or Marta Kostyuk. “But my work with Roger continues, is not in question at all. After his career, I can focus exclusively on what makes me happy. "
Too much attention to the Grand Slams
Ivan Ljubicic will have plenty of time for this in the coming months, Federer has only announced his comeback in early 2021. "We have everything under control," continued Ljubicic. “We are planning for the next season. It is a wish and a dream that everything will be as it was in 2017, but we know that there will be a new situation. ”Especially since Federer will celebrate his 39th birthday in early August.
Ivan Ljubicic is somewhat annoyed by what he believes is the disproportionately large concentration of the tennis public on the Grand Slam tournaments. “Everyone is a little too focused on major titles. These are the biggest tournaments in our sport, but they are not the only valuable things. It is the case with Roger Federer that he loves sports and wants to play as much as possible. We'll do everything we can to get good results, but that's not the only reason he's still playing. But I know there are people who don't understand that. "