Tenisiści i ich trenerzy

[Damian]

Agassi, Dimitrov Working Together In Paris

Spoiler:

Former World No. 1 joins Dimitrov's team at the season's final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event
Former World No. 1 Andre Agassi will help coach Grigor Dimitrov at this week's Rolex Paris Masters. Agassi flew out early Saturday afternoon and joined Dimitrov on Sunday at the season's final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.


ROLEX PARIS MASTERS
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@RolexPMasters
Backhand chats with @AndreAgassi and @GrigorDimitrov #RolexParisMasters
10:42 AM - Oct 28, 2018
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This is at least the second time this year the two have worked together. They were seen practising in July at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta.
View image on TwitterView image on Twitter

Georgia Tech
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@GeorgiaTech
Spotted around Georgia Tech: Olympic Gold Medalist and Grand Slam Champion @AndreAgassi.
4:07 AM - Jul 13, 2018 · Atlanta, GA
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Dani Vallverdu, Dimitrov's coach since mid-2016, is also in Paris. Last year, Vallverdu guided Dimitrov to his best season yet. The Bulgarian won his first Masters 1000 event (Cincinnati) and the biggest title of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals in London. Dimitrov finished 2017 at No. 3 in the ATP Rankings.
Taming The Talent: Why Dimitrov, Vallverdu Make A Good Match
But the 27-year-old Dimitrov has struggled to back up his breakthrough season. After four titles last year, Dimitrov has reached only one final this year, losing to Roger Federer in Rotterdam. Dimitrov is in 22nd place in the ATP Race To London and will not be making a return trip to The O2.
Agassi worked with Novak Djokovic for 11 months, from May 2017 until April 2018, when the two agreed to end their partnership.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/ag ... paris-2018

[Damian]

Rene Moller nowym szkoleniowcem Huberta Hurkacza.

[Damian]

Emmanuel Planque i Lucas Pouille po sześciu latach zakończyli współpracę.

[Damian]

Sergi Bruguera dołączy do sztabu Tsongi od 2019 roku.

[Damian]

Emmanuel Planque zostaje nowym trenerem Corentina Mouteta.

http://mobile.fft.fr/actualites/fil-d-i ... tin-moutet

[Damian]

Liam Smith trenerem Monfilsa.

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/79211 ... s-australi

[Damian]

Lequipe sugeruje, że Lucas podjął współpracę z nowym trenerem, a właściwie trenerką

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Lucas Pouille entraîné par Amélie Mauresmo

Spoiler:

Selon nos informations, Lucas Pouille sera coaché par Amélie Mauresmo la saison prochaine.
Selon nos informations, Lucas Pouille a choisi son nouveau coach pour succéder à Emmanuel Planque, dont il s'est séparé le mois dernier. Il s'agit d'Amélie Mauresmo, qui cumulerait ces fonctions avec celle de capitaine de Coupe Davis. Un double rôle qui poserait problème si Lucas Pouille décidait de revenir sur sa décision de zapper la future compétition par équipes estampillée ITF. Mais à l'issue de la finale à Lille, le Français a bel et bien réitéré son intention de ne pas participer à cette épreuve.

Quant à Mauresmo, elle signera son retour sur le circuit début 2019, deux ans et demi après avoir mis un terme à sa collaboration avec Andy Murray (de juin 2014 à mai 2016). Reste à savoir comment le nouveau binôme fonctionnera car il paraît difficile d'imaginer l'ancienne n°1 mondiale consacrer une trentaine de semaines par an à son joueur alors qu'elle est mère de deux enfants en bas âge. Le suivi plus régulier sur les tournois pourrait donc être assuré par un deuxième entraîneur. Et se pose aussi la question du cumul des fonctions pour la nouvelle capitaine de Coupe Davis. Les cadres de la FFT seraient en train de sonder les meilleurs joueurs pour recueillir leur sentiment sur cette double casquette.

https://m.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/ ... XDnMg0smyF

[Damian]

Kolejny tenisista zmienił trenera. Filip Krajinović nawiązał współpracę z Thomasem Johanssonem

Spoiler:

Filip Krajinović jest kolejnym tenisistą, który w przerwie pomiędzy sezonami 2018 a 2019 dokonał zmiany w sztabie szkoleniowym. Serb zakończył współpracę z Petarem Popoviciem, a zatrudnił Thomasa Johanssona.

REKLAMA
Czytaj także:

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Cykl ITF: Dembek i Smoła bez finału w RPA. Zawadzka przegrała w ćwierćfinale w Czechach
Petar Popović był szkoleniowcem Filipa Krajinovicia od sezonu 2017. Pod jego wodzą Serb uzyskał największe sukcesy w karierze. W listopadzie zeszłego roku dotarł do finału turnieju ATP World Tour Masters 1000 w Paryżu, a pięć miesięcy później awansował na najwyższe w miejsce w rankingu ATP - 23.
Po zakończeniu tegorocznych rozgrywek Krajinović postanowił jednak zakończyć współpracę z Popoviciem i zatrudnił w roli trenera Thomasa Johanssona. Szwed był znakomitym tenisistą. Wygrał dziewięć turniejów głównego cyklu w singlu, w 1998 roku zdobył Puchar Davisa, wygrał wielkoszlemowy Australian Open 2002, a w 2008 roku w parze z Simonem Aspelinem sięgnął po srebrny medal olimpijskich w Pekinie w deblu.

W roli trenera Johansson współpracował z Marią Sakkari. I rozwinął potencjał utalentowanej Greczynki. Pod jego wodzą 23-latka z Aten doszła do III rund wszystkich turniejów wielkoszlemowych, wystąpiła w pierwszym w karierze finale imprezy rangi WTA Tour (w sierpniu w Stanford) oraz wspięła się na 25. lokatę w klasyfikacji WTA.

REKLAMA

Krajinović i Johansson już rozpoczęli wspólne treningi. - Przez kilka dni popracujemy w Serbii, a następnie udamy się do Monte Carlo, gdzie jest wielu tenisistów, z którymi Filip może trenować, jak Djoković, Wawrinka czy Corić. To będzie dla nas bardzo dobre - mówił Szwed w rozmowie z portalem sportskacentrala.com.

- Filip jest bardzo utalentowanym tenisistą, który ma wiele atutów w swoim arsenale. Przede wszystkim ma mocną grę z linii końcowej i świetnie porusza się na nogach. Powodem, dla którego nigdy nie wszedł do pierwszej "10" rankingu, jest to, że musi być bardziej profesjonalny. I po to właśnie jestem tutaj. By uczynić go większym profesjonalistą - dodał trener.

Sezon 2019 Krajinović rozpocznie w turnieju w Dosze (31 grudnia - 5 stycznia). Następnie weźmie udział w wielkoszlemowym Australian Open (14-27 stycznia).

Serb to kolejny tenisista, który w przerwie między sezonami 2018 a 2019 dokonał roszady w swoim sztabie szkoleniowym. W ostatnich tygodniach identyczne decyzje podjęli także m.in. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Lucas Pouille, Corentin Moutet, Fernando Verdasco czy Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

https://m.sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/792 ... -z-thomase

[Damian]

Grudzień to czas zmian. Fernando Verdasco i Guillermo Garcia-Lopez zatrudnili nowych trenerów

Spoiler:

Grudzień to dla tenisistów czas przygotowań do nowego sezonu i zmian trenerów. Hiszpanie Fernando Verdasco i Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to kolejni gracze, którzy dokonali roszad w swoich sztabach szkoleniowych.

Sezon 2018 w wykonaniu Fernando Verdasco był rozczarowujący. Hiszpan nie zdobył żadnego tytułu i tylko w jednym w turnieju doszedł do finału (w Rio de Janeiro). Za te wyniki posadą zapłacił jego trener, Nacho Truyol.
W nowych rozgrywkach szkoleniowcem Verdasco będzie Joaquin Munoz, 43-latek z Madrytu, niegdyś 157. singlista świata, ledwie kilka miesięcy temu zakończył tenisową karierę. W sztabie Hiszpana znajdą się także Diego Dinomo oraz Chema Castillo, który będzie pełnił funkcję trenera od przygotowania fizycznego.

Poniżej swoich ambicji w mijającym roku prezentował się również rodak Verdasco, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Tenisista z La Rody nie dość, że na poziomie głównego cyklu wygrał tylko 16 spotkań i nie zanotował choćby jednego półfinału, to jeszcze opuścił grono 100 najlepszych singlistów globu i zakończył lokatę na 106. pozycji w rankingu ATP.

Teraz Garcia-Lopez postanowił zakończył kooperację z Jose Aparisim i zatrudnił Juana Manuela Esparcię, z którym przeżywał najlepszy okres w karierze. W latach 2007-11 dzięki współpracy z fachowcem z Albacete Hiszpan awansował z 97. na 23. miejsce w rankingu ATP oraz zdobył dwa tytuły (w Kitzbuehel i w Bangkoku).

Verdasco i Garcia-Lopez to kolejni tenisiści, którzy w przerwie między sezonami 2018 a 2019 dokonali roszad w swoich sztabach szkoleniowych. W ostatnich tygodniach identyczne decyzje podjęli także m.in. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Lucas Pouille czy Corentin Moutet.

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/79248 ... udnili-now

[Damian]

Grigor Dimitrow zaprezentował sztab szkoleniowy na sezon 2019. Znalazł się w nim Andre Agassi

Spoiler:

Grigor Dimitrow zaprezentował sztab ludzi, z którymi będzie współpracował podczas sezonu 2019. Głównym trenerem Bułgara pozostanie Daniel Vallverdu, a pomagać mu ma legendarny Andre Agassi.


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Annabel Croft: Djoković to faworyt Australian Open. Federer? Nie jest jeszcze gotowy na emeryturę

Grigor Dimitrow zaprezentował sztab szkoleniowy na sezon 2019. Znalazł się w nim Andre Agassi
Do startu sezonu 2019 Grigor Dimitrow przygotowywał się w Monte Carlo, gdzie mieszka. Trenował nad siłą, wytrzymałością oraz rozwojem umiejętności tenisowych. Na koniec obozu ogłosił, z kim będzie współpracował podczas przyszłorocznych rozgrywek.
Głównym trenerem Dimitrowa pozostanie Daniel Vallverdu, z którym współpracuje od lipca 2016 roku. Pod wodzą Wenezuelczyka, w przeszłości opiekuna m.in. Andy'ego Murraya i Tomasa Berdycha, w 2017 roku Bułgar rozegrał najlepszy sezon w karierze, okraszony triumfem w Finałach ATP World Tour i półfinałem wielkoszlemowego Australian Open.



REKLAMA
W czasie przygotowań tenisiście z Chaskowa towarzyszył również Andre Agassi. Uznawany za jednego z najwybitniejszych graczy w historii Amerykanin, ośmiokrotny mistrz wielkoszlemowy i lider rankingu przez 101 tygodni, po raz pierwszy w sztabie Dimitrowa pojawił się w ostatnim tygodniu października podczas turnieju w Paryżu. Bułgar wówczas jednak nie chciał wyjawić, czy ta współpraca będzie kontynuowana.

ZOBACZ WIDEO: Mundial obalił mit Nawałki. "Nie jest nieomylny. Nie ma rozwiązania na każdą sytuację"

Jak się okazuje - tak. Agassi obejmie funkcję koordynatora i będzie towarzyszył Dimitrowowi przez kilkanaście tygodni w roku, podczas najważniejszych turniejów. Dla Amerykanina to druga praca trenerska. Ma za sobą nieudaną kooperację z Novakiem Djokoviciem.

Sztab najlepszego bułgarskiego tenisisty uzupełniają trener od przygotowania fizycznego Sebastian Durand oraz lekarz Casey Cordial.

Sezon 2019 Dimitrow rozpocznie w turnieju w Brisbane (31 grudnia - 6 stycznia), gdzie w 2017 roku zdobył tytuł. Następnie zagra w wielkoszlemowym Australian Open (14-27 stycznia).

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/79446 ... sie-w-nim-

[Damian]

Vajda Named ATP Coach Of The Year

Spoiler:

Slovakian guided Djokovic back to World No. 1
Marian Vajda was named the ATP Caoch of the Year in the 2018 ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon, in recognition of his efforts to help Novak Djokovic climb from No. 22 in the ATP Rankings in June to World No. 1 to finish the year.

“I would like to really dedicate this to all of our team,” said Vajda, who returned to Djokovic’s team along with fitness coach Gebhard Gritsch in April after a one-year split.

Djokovic got off to a slow 6-6 start to 2018, undergoing a right elbow procedure after the Australian Open. But once reunited with Vajda, Djokovic’s season took off. Grand Slam victories at Wimbledon and the US Open, as well as ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns in Cincinnati and Shanghai highlighted his efforts, as Djokovic finished atop the year-end ATP Rankings for the fifth time.

You May Also Like: Read & Watch: Djokovic Presented Year-End ATP World Tour No. 1 Trophy
“I’m really glad that after coming back, he reached No. 1 in the world,” Vajda said of his pupil’s run of form.

The award was nominated and voted on by fellow ATP coach members. Fellow finalists were Jan de Witt (Nikoloz Basilashvili), Carlos Moya (Rafael Nadal), Sebastian Prieto (Juan Martin del Potro) and Simone Vagnozzi (Marco Cecchinato).

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/vajda-a ... f-the-year

[Lleyton]

[Damian]

Severin Luthi: Roger Federer wants to get criticized, this is his strength

Spoiler:

In an interview to Sueddetusche, Roger Federer's coach Severin Luthi commented on the Swiss player's longevity and other interesting things

DECEMBER 22, 2018 08:10
by LUIGI GATTO | VIEW 3873
Severin Luthi: Roger Federer wants to get criticized, this is his strength


In an interview to Sueddetusche, Roger Federer's coach Severin Luthi commented on the Swiss player's longevity and other interesting things. They started working together in 2007. Would Luthi have ever imagined that he would still coach Roger fighting for the biggest titles? 'No, certainly no! Never! If they told me that 11, 12 years after I would still be there and that Roger would be playing so well, I would have never believed at it.

Even if he always said he was able to do impressive things,' admitted Luthi. Commenting on the highlights of his coaching career, the 42-year-old added: 'Grand Slams are at the top. And, of course, the Davis Cup win was beautiful for me.

But you go forward and forward, you almost have no time to go behind.' Federer and Luthi are friends, and Roger accepts criticism and suggestions: 'One of Roger's strengths, even of the best players' in general, is that they want to get criticized.


Because they always want to improve. Roger is like this. Even Stan (Wawrinka). You may think that the best players only get "Yes" around them only because they are so good, but there are details that can make them better.

They want to improve and accept tough things. And friendship with Roger is not an obstacle at all.' What changed since when they started working in 2007? 'There is more around Roger than before. We spend less time together than when we were together: he, Mirka and I.

Now there are four kids, nannies. And Mirka likes to meet other families who have kids. But it's okay for me.' ALSO

https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/n ... -strength/

[Damian]

Carlos Moyà: "If Rafa Is Healthy Will Suck Back To Everything"

Spoiler:

The coach of the Spanish review in this interview with ATP Tour what happened in 2018 and shells the keys of 2019
The third season of Carlos Moya (Mallorca, Spain, 1976) in the bench of Rafael Nadal will start in a few days, when the Spanish returns to the competition at Brisbane International as a prelude to the Australian Open. The No. 2 ATP Ranking, absent from the circuit of the semifinals of the last US Open for a string of injuries and an operation on the right ankle to extract an intra-articular free body that had been bothering him for some time, has been training at good intensity for a few weeks. Stare in the new course.

Before raising the curtain of 2019, Moyà sat down with ATP Tour to deepen in the problems that the champion of 17 great had the last year and to clarify the plan that have devised to fight them in the new campaign, that the Balearic will start with the idea to fight again for everything.

They come from spending six hard, very hard months.

It is not the most beautiful job, far from it, but it is one of the responsibilities of being Rafa's coach. You have to be prepared for when you play, but also for when you do not play because you are injured. In the end, in every moment you try to contribute what you can. Obviously, they have been difficult weeks, complicated moments. The hardest is having to retire from a Grand Slam semifinal, what happened to him in New York. Then, we knew that I would not go to Asia. Without skipping any step or force, the goal was to try to play Paris and London. We prepared and it was good to compete again, but unfortunately he had a small break in the abdominal, added to the discomfort that was dragging on the foot. Once we decided not to play in Paris, and seeing that it did not arrive in London, we decided that it would be operated on the problems in the foot.

And then how do you rate the year?

When he was on the track it was a spectacular year. Of nine tournaments he has won five. He has lost two games, plus two defeats for abandonment in the Australian Open against Cilic and in the US Open against del Potro, but in terms of injuries it has been a bad year. That makes us have to look for solutions.

Nadal

What solutions?

You have to change things. Training systems, for example. Or the frequency of those same workouts. We have to hit the key so that this 2018 will not happen again.

And how is it applied on a day-to-day basis?

Everyone in the team thinks the same: at this point in his career it will not change anything to train one hour more per day. On the contrary, it will be more harmful than beneficial. We are very aware of that and for that line we want to insist this season.

It means there will be no more beatings training.

Since I'm on the team, tennis sessions do not last more than two hours. It's a more than enough time with the intensity that Rafa puts him. We give total priority to well-being, to prevention, to trying to avoid injuries. If you train three and a half hours, the quality is much lower. I'm in favor of shorter workouts. For example, double sessions have been few, only in tournaments and because we try to take advantage of being able to play sets in the morning and in the afternoon take the opportunity to practice something more specific. We are talking about Rafa, if he is a young man of 18 years old, it is another totally different film.

Could Also Be Interested: How Rafa Was The Best Of The Top 10 In 2018
Nadal turns 33 this season. Is it a cause for concern about the direct impact of age on injuries?

It is something that will happen more often with age. In fact, 99% of the players retire because of the injuries and what that entails, like losing confidence and desire, wearing out spending more time in the doctor than in the tennis court or falling many positions in the classification. I've been through that and I know what it is. You have to try to avoid it, or at least lengthen it as long as possible. In that we are, dosing a lot the time that Rafa spends training and managing its calendar in detail.

Are they going to compress the calendar more?

There is always talk of Rafa and the calendar. This year he has played nine tournaments. I would like to see if in the history of the ATP Tour any player has finished the year as number two with nine disputed tournaments. It is clear that circumstances have made him play so few tournaments. Some have not played because we have dosed, but others have been forced, because he was injured. Being well, in good health, Rafa must play 14 or 15 tournaments, no more. Compressing more the calendar seems impossible to me.

Nadal

In a few days a preseason is over in which they have had many doubts and also a lot of time.
The goal has been to progress little by little because it came from the operation on the foot. In principle it was a simple intervention, but we did not want to force more than necessary. The recovery has been on the right track. Little by little, progressing and without going crazy. And always being optimistic to get well prepared to Australia.

You said before that when you were on the track it was a spectacular year. So, what do you seek to improve before the start of 2019?

My function is to be in shape, doing a lot of specific training of what we want for him. Both Joan Forcades, his physical trainer, and Francis Roig and I are preparing Rafa to be a more aggressive player than he has been throughout his career. Tennis is now played at four strokes. 70% of the points is the serve plus one ball or rest plus another ball. It is not what he prefers, but we try to find his comfort inside an evident discomfort. Nadal likes the rhythm, although he has shown that he can play just as well when there is no such rhythm. I am very influential in being aggressive. Sometimes he sees it, sometimes he does not see it. I know it will never be Federer, Raonic or Berdych, who are two-shot players, but you have to try to push him to come close to that, without losing his essence. That's why, in training, we try things,

Aggression, that eternal goal.

He did it in 2017 and also in most of 2018. Perhaps, the last three games he played in the US Open, the last three of the season, was the least applied that we are trying to add. With 20 years old he can play like he played, but at this point he has to force a little more, be more aggressive. I have been a player, and there are times when you feel ready to do it and other times when it costs you more. When you do not have much confidence it is difficult to look for that aggressiveness. That is a bit what we try to put in his head. Rafa is very receptive, but sometimes he feels he can not do it.

Read: Nadal Donates 1 Million Euros to Those Affected by Floods in Mallorca

Nadal has been the protagonist of the three best games of the year in Grand Slam, praise for ATP Tour.

Se recuerda mucho la épica, y el rey de la épica es Rafa. Suelen ser partidos largos, con muchas alternativas, de desenlace abierto. El jugador en común de todos esos partidos ha sido Nadal en 2018. Particularmente, me gustaría que fuese menos así. Si hay épica significa que son partidos largos, y los partidos largos en estos momentos no me hacen demasiada gracia. Hace 10 años intentaría que Rafa alargase sus encuentros lo máximo posible, ahora ya no. Pero al final es Nadal, y el público quiere a Nadal por partidos que gana cuando estaban completamente perdidos.

¿Cómo lo hace? Porque ha pasado más de una, dos y tres veces.

Yo soy su entrenador y si me preguntas cómo lo ha conseguido… pues no sé explicarlo. Eso es lo que le gusta a los aficionados, lo que recuerdan. Esa es la esencia de Nadal.

Este año, contra Djokovic en las semifinales de Wimbledon, vivió la otra cara de uno de esos cruces dramáticos. ¿Le da muchas vueltas a las oportunidades perdidas?

Siempre piensas. Y sí, la situación más clara fue en Wimbledon. Tuvo oportunidades para ganarle el partido a Djokovic un encuentro que ha cambiado el desenlace de la temporada. Anderson venía de jugar una semifinal larguísima con Isner y Rafa habría sido favorito en la final. ¿Qué supone eso? Evitar que Djokovic sumase su primer Grand Slam en varios años. También hay que ver los partidos que ha ganado durante su carrera y que podía haber perdido. La gente siempre tiende a recordar los encuentros que podía haber ganado y terminó perdiendo, pero son muchos también los torneos que se ha llevado rozando la eliminación.

At this point, do you think your figure is more important on or off the track?

It is complicated to talk about my work. It is a quite complete pack formed by the moments that Rafa spends inside the track and those that pass outside. There is the human factor, obviously. I know what I'm trying to contribute, what I really contribute ... It's a question for him. You always think you do your job well.

How many times have they been angry in these two years?

Annoyed, not practically none. Yes, there is a disparity of criteria at some point. If I say something to him, it's because I think it's the best thing for him, but it does not mean he's always in possession of the absolute truth. They are usually open dialogues. Many times we agree and some do not.

Does it slow down to be Rafa Nadal?

I always try to be honest and tell him what is best for him. If it were not so, my credibility would be on the floor and I would be too. I also do not want a robot that says all the time to everything I say. It is a fairly sincere relationship.


Zverev won at the end of this season in London. Will the order established in 2019 change?

The regularity of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer will be lost little by little. They continue to keep it in the Grand Slam tournaments, but it will be increasingly difficult for a big winner to leave that group. In the Masters 1000 you are already seeing that there is more rotation and it also happened in the ATP Finals. We are talking about a Grand Slam and a Grand Slam is another story, but sooner or later that will change. Of course, I will not be the one to discard Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.

Were you surprised that the German won Federer and Djokovic consecutively in the same tournament?

I will not tell you that it did not surprise me. Out of them three, I think he is the only player who can do it right now. It is a very difficult mission to beat Federer in the semifinals and Djokovic in the final, I do not think there are many who have achieved it. We are talking about a player who has been up a couple of years, being very consistent and solid. In the Grand Slam tournaments, for whatever reason, he has not been able to offer his best level, but clearly he is a candidate to be the relay of these three.

With which one do you keep all the new rules of the Next Gen ATP Finals?

I can not say which is the one that convinces me the most. The sets to four games are interesting for the public and also for television. Each game has a tremendous importance and matches usually do not exceed two hours. That, facing television, is very positive. As a player, it takes away moments of tranquility and keeps you in tension all the time. I do not like let, but I understand that it is not a radical change. And that the games do not have advantage is another rule to which I give options to be established in the circuit in the future.

Nadal

Do you like the ATP Cup?

The idea is good. We must always give support to new competitions that are born to modernize our sport, which is quite reluctant to adapt new formats. The ATP has made an important effort. I see it very positive.

Finished. What do you ask 2019?

I ask that Nadal be healthy. If Rafa is healthy he will aspire to everything again. Being healthy is the number one priority within the team.

https://www.atptour.com/es/news/entrevi ... 2019-nadal

[DUN I LOVE]

Do you like the ATP Cup?

The idea is good. We must always give support to new competitions that are born to modernize our sport, which is quite reluctant to adapt new formats. The ATP has made an important effort. I see it very positive.

Serio, Carlos? Przecież ostatnio nic innego się w tym cyrku nie wyprawia. Bez przerwy się testuje i implementuje jakieś nowości.

[arti]

Evert & McEnroe Weigh In On Agassi-Dimitrov Partnership

Spoiler:

Grigor Dimitrov, the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion, decided towards the end of 2018 to make an addition to his team to perhaps spark an eventual return to the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. The Bulgarian hired former World No. 1 Andre Agassi as a new coach alongside Daniel Vallverdu.
After Agassi flew to Paris to help Dimitrov at the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the year, the pair retreated with Vallverdu to Agassi’s hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, where they prepared for 2019.
“We spent quality weeks, about three, three and a half weeks all together. It’s great to see that everybody is on the same page right now,” Dimitrov told ATPTour.com in Brisbane. “We see tennis, we see the game, we see sort of the whole big picture the same way. So that makes it more exciting now, and hopefully we have great success together.”
Dimitrov is not the only one excited about his partnership with Agassi. Patrick McEnroe, a 16-time tour-level doubles titlist and ESPN analyst, says that all-time great baseliner Agassi could make a real impact on the former World No. 3’s game. Agassi was known for maintaining his ground on the baseline, taking the ball early and pushing opponents around the court with his dictating style of play.
“I love to see Andre Agassi back in the mix. If he can get, what he would probably call himself, shot discipline, shot tolerance into the game of Grigor Dimitrov, that would be a huge positive because Grigor, in my mind, just has way too many options and has never really figured out how to just play meat and potatoes tennis, which is what Agassi did at his best in his prime, in his later years,” McEnroe said on a conference call. “Will Dimitrov ever be able to play exactly that style? Of course not. If Andre can get a little bit of that into his game, his mentality, that could absolutely help him.”
Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam titlist, added to McEnroe’s sentiments by saying that the 20th seed at the Australian Open can benefit in more than just technique and on-court strategy from his time with Agassi.
“I think he can help Dimitrov tremendously with the mental side of the game,” Evert said. “Echoing the discipline that Agassi had, also the wisdom that he has, the training. When I think of Agassi, I picture him running up hills with sandbags on his back with [trainer] Gil Reyes [in Las Vegas]. I think he can up the intensity of the discipline and training. And Dimitrov is very respectful of former champions. I feel like he will be more motivated with Andre.”
Evert appears to be spot on with that, as Dimitrov arrived in Australia excited for what is ahead. It was as if his tough off-season work with Agassi and Vallverdu gave him a boost in every way heading into the new year. What was the experience like?
“Priceless. Nothing can put a price on that,” Dimitrov said. “We spent a crazy amount of time together, and it’s not just about the tennis, after all. The friendship and everything that we managed to build in such a time was beautiful for us.”
Dimitrov hopes that said beauty will translate into results.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/chris-e ... -open-2019

[Damian]

How To Convince Agassi To Be Your Coach

Spoiler:

Vallverdu opens his contacts book to secure a legendary name
"Grigor, our problem is more mental than tennis-related. We've been together almost two years. Tennis-wise, you've improved and mentally as well, but now we are in a difficult moment mentally. We should take some time to see what might help. I've spent a lot of time with ex-players and I think they can help us in a few areas. Let me speak to a few and see who would be the best option for you." — Daniel Vallverdu
Throughout 2018, Daniel Vallverdu sat down with Grigor Dimitrov to try to guide him through a difficult situation in an important season, vital in consolidating his place among the best players in the world.
After an amazing 2017, which culminated in winning the Nitto ATP Finals and finishing at World No. 3, Dimitrov started the season playing well, but without achieving the results he had hoped for. That, coupled with tough draws in the first rounds of tournaments (Milos Raonic in Madrid, Kei Nishikori in Rome, Novak Djokovic at Queen's, Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon, Djokovic again in Cincinnati and Wawrinka at the US Open), made for a dangerous cocktail: lack of confidence, pressure and unfulfilled hopes.
"For the first time," Vallverdu told ATPTour.com in Melbourne ahead of the Bulgarian's second-round match with Pablo Cuevas, "Grigor realised that he has the level to compete with the best players all year. This helped him see that his goals are realistic. Maybe he had some doubts, but the goals are achievable," added the Venezuelan coach.
"He has the opportunity to be at the top, winning big tournaments. It took a lot for him to accept this, especially after the first few months when he wasn't achieving the results he wanted. When you think you have the possibility to have good results, and you don't get them, the pressure increases. He was training hard and playing well. Every time he played a practice match with another player, he won. I was happy with the level of his tennis, but it was all mental, inside and outside the court," said Vallverdu.
So it was Vallverdu who proposed to Dimitrov that they search the market for options to bring someone onto the team. The Venezuelan, who shared the stage with Ivan Lendl for almost two years when he worked with Andy Murray, found the man he wanted quickly and put his plan into action.
"Luckily Agassi was ready to help us and I quickly realised that he was the right person to look at things inside and outside the court," said Vallverdu.
Agassi, Vallverdu, Dimitrov
Convincing Agassi isn't an easy task. The former World No. 1 and eight-time Grand Slam champion retired from the ATP Tour on 3 September 2006 and afterwards his priorities changed completely; he distanced himself from the world of tennis. However, the American made a return when he started working with Djokovic in 2017, a relationship that lasted less than a year and that ended with few positive results.
Because of this, accepting the call from Vallverdu to join Dimitrov's team was a slow process.
"He took his time, especially at the beginning," confessed Vallverdu. "It hadn't gone very well with Djokovic and he wanted to see what the situation was and if it would be the case that he could actually help and have an impact. For the first couple of months I spoke a lot with both of them. After the summer, he realised it would be something positive, that Grigor was improving every day. And after various weeks of lots of communication he was ready. Of course, it's a relationship that we work on every day. We are happy with his work, be it five or 20 weeks of the year.
Vallverdu’s decision to turn to Agassi for help shows a coach who is ready to do whatever it takes to help his player.
"My job is to try and maximise the player's career, because it goes by very quickly," said Vallverdu. “You realise that when you've been on tour for this long. Tournaments go by fast, the years fly by. I care about Grigor and the relationship we have; I don't want the years to pass us by and we lose time. I want him to improve as a tennis player and as a person, to keep progressing in various aspects of his career and also in his life," he added. "I made the decision to bring in help because my goal is that he keeps evolving.
"It was the right decision to try something new. Away from the court, Grigor is very different to the other players, especially among the older generation. He is a little more of an artist and sees things differently to other people. Agassi also went through times like this in his career. They share similarities in how they think about some things. They have connected on a level that is going to help us moving forwards."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/dimitro ... -open-2019

[Damian]

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Uwielbiałem ten duet. Super dobrani.