Marcos Baghdatis called it a brilliant career at Wimbledon in 2019, but the legendary Cypriot could not stay away from the sport for long. He’ll make his return in 2020 as part of Elina Svitolina’s coaching team.
The former World No.8 and Australian Open runner-up announced the news on Twitter on Wednesday.
“I am so glad to announce the next chapter of my life and look forward to Coaching a great athlete and super tennis player #No.6 ranked WTA player Elina Svitolina, working along side Andre Bettles!” Wrote Baghdatis. “I want to thank Elina for putting her trust in me.”
Baghdatis will work alongside Svitolina’s longtime coach Andrew Bettles and hope to guide the Ukrainian star to her first major title. The 25-year-old did not win a title in 2019 but she did reach her first career major semifinal at Wimbledon, and backed that performance up with a trip to the US Open semis.
Svitolina also reached the title match at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen and finished the season with a 39-22 record.
“Starting now, Marcos will be part of my team in the role of consultant coach, alongside my current coach Andy Bettles,” Svitolina wrote on Instagram. “I’m very excited to announce this news and I’m confident his strong experience will add value to my game.”