By Chris Oddo | Friday October 9, 2015
Magnus Norman has guided Stan Wawrinka from Good to Great in two years' time.
Photo Source: Matthew Stockman/Getty
As the ATP and WTA seasons wind down, we’re taking a moment to give credit where credit is due (and very often not given). Which coaches deserve the most credit for their player’s rise, consistency, championships, etc…
It’s a largely unquantifiable contribution that coaches make, and thanks to the lone-wolf nature of tennis, coaches rarely get noticed when the big points are being won.
Unlike football (both American and European) and baseball and basketball (and most other sports), coaches in tennis don’t play a prominent visible role during competition. Tennis has long fought to ensure the warrior domain of its matches (NO COACHING ALLOWED!) and takes pride in being the sport where players must go it alone on court. But where does that leave the coaches? Women’s coaches benefit from the publicity of on-court coaching during Tour-level matches (not Grand Slams, and scorned by “purists”) and this helps them get some exposure to mainstream viewers, but by in large, tennis coaches are forced to the sidelines, subjugated to status equal to player’s family and significant others as they sit and cheerlead from the sidelines, offering bottles of green elixir and fist-pumps galore.
But the fact remains, whether the general public knows it or not: Coaches play a massive role in the development and success of their players. From the technical to the tactical to the psychological, the best tennis coaches can wear multiple hats and convey myriad messages, all in a way that allows their player go out into the tennis hinterland all by his lonesome and achieve a level of success that suits his or her potential.
Here’s ten coaches that we’ve singled out for top-level achievement in 2015.
1. Magnus Norman
The stoic Swede gets our vote for coach of the year. Coaching Stan Wawrinka to his first Grand Slam title in 2014 was one thing, but to ensure that the Stanimal stayed on point in 2015 and was therefore ready to take his chance at Roland Garros is perhaps more impressive. We have to assume that Norman deserves credit not only for the technical changes to Wawrinka’s forehand but also the tactical nuances that have led the Swiss to commit to a more aggressive, bullying style of play.
2. Ivan Bencic
Melanie Molitor gets so much credit for helping to shape Belinda Bencic’s game, but what about her coach and father, Ivan? Clearly he has instilled the young Swiss with a fighter’s mentality and he has helped her come up with the type of gameplan that has allowed her to flourish in 2015.
3. Patrick Mouratoglou
The Frenchman has instilled a new sense of focus and intensity in Williams’ overall approach to tennis. The numbers don’t lie. Williams has won eight Grand Slams out of 14 with Mouratoglou at the helm, and she was a whisker from winning the Calendar Slam in 2015. He's done it be helping Williams channel her desire. Part psycholigist, part motivator, part tactical and technical guru, Mouratoglou was able to find a way to get the greatest player of her generation to want to be the greatest player in history.
4. Stefan Edberg
Roger Federer’s net game has improved by leaps and bounds, and there seems to be a lot more clarity in his tactical approach to top-level tennis with Edberg at the helm. That might have a lot to do with Federer getting healthy again and learning to use his new racquet, but clearly Edberg has rubbed off on Federer the right way. At risk of stubbornly resisting change, Federer enlisted Edberg to ensure that he would not fall into that trap--and it's worked. Edberg has helped the Swiss maestro usher in a new era of Fedtasticness characterized by daring, compelling go-for-broke tactics and an aggressive, playful and confident approach.
5. Boris Becker and Marian Vajda
Becker deserves a lot of credit for helping Djokovic become a much better—and smarter—server, as well as re-energizing that champion’s mindset in the Serb. But let’s not forget old faithful Marian Vajda, the man who helped Djokovic get where he is in the first place and the man who no doubt has a big influence on Djokovic as a psychological and tactical entity.
6. Nicole Pratt
Daria Gavrilova came from outside the Top-200 all the way inside the Top-40 this year, and she did it with a clever, eloquent and knowledgeable coach pushing her all the way. Just have one listen at a Nicole Pratt on-court coaching segment and you too will know that Pratt is the real deal.
7. Alejo Mancisidor
Garbine Muguruza has moved on from Mancisidor, but let’s not forget that this is the man who got this powerful phenom to embrace her brand of first-strike tennis and who guided her to her first trip to a major final—on grass of all places.
8. Amelie Mauresmo
Mauresmo has influenced Murray’s game, allowing him to rediscover his quirkiness as well as embrace his power, and brought a sense of calm to the Great Scot’s game—and mind. Murray blossomed early in the season under Mauresmo, reaching a Grand Slam final in Australia, and played his best French Open to date with the Frenchwoman at the helm.
9. Rob Steckley
The Canadian has embraced the most important word in coaching—rapport—and bonded with Safarova in a way that has finally bolstered the Czech’s self-belief and allowed her to become the player we all thought she could be. A lot of that might be natural evolution, but Steckley’s role in Safarova’s development should not be understated.
10. Jimmy Connors
Whatever Connors did with or said to Eugenie Bouchard in New York during their preparation for the U.S. Open worked. The Canadian found her missing sparkle and once again approached the game with positivity and confidence. It was a remarkable turnaround that ended far too soon because of a freak accident, but we got to learn that there is some magic in Bouchard’s game, as well as in Connors’ coaching voice before Bouchard’s US Open ended.