Australian Open 2015: Tennis stars reap rewards from Grand Slam champion coaches

WHEN I was 17 I spent a week staying at Ivan Lendl’s house.
I’d just come from playing the juniors at Wimbledon and certainly had my eyes wide open about what life as a professional tennis player involved.
It was a privilege to be given the chance to see one of the game’s greats at close quarters and it stayed in the memory bank.
To see Lendl’s intensity in training and his work ethic on and off the court was eye-opening. He just lived and breathed tennis.
The actions or words by a champion can make an enormous difference to a player.
That’s why I think there has been an influx in former top level players turning to the coaching caper after their playing days have ended.
It’s now a who’s who in the coaching ranks.
Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang, Magnus Norman, Ivan Ljubicic, Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport and Goran Ivanisevic are all mentors to current stars of the game.
Take Goran’s role with Marin Cilic for example.
He comes into the picture and not long after the guy wins a Grand Slam. He clearly respected his fellow countryman and to have him in his team saw him find something extra.
That’s what these big names bring.
Who better to turn to when you’re moments away from walking onto centre court for a Grand Slam final than someone who has been there and done that?
The biggest thing with coaching at the very top level is making the player comfortable.
It’s not about how they hit a forehand or serve, it’s about communication and being able to talk through certain situations.
Sometimes that might just be sitting down over a sandwich and answering a couple of questions. That’s all it might take but it could be invaluable
The Edberg setup with Roger Federer is amazing.
It shows that Federer still wants to improve and believes Stefan can bring something to his game.
We’ve already seen a little bit of that as I think Federer has been more aggressive in getting to the net since the union started.
The fact the top guys want to keep improving and aren’t satisfied with where they’re at is great for the game.
Mauresmo’s appointment by Andy Murray certainly raised eyebrows but it comes back to that comfort theory.
He had great success with Lendl over the past couple of years and maybe he wanted a break from that intensity.
If Mauresmo makes him relaxed and ready for the matches then it works and all the evidence so far would suggest it is.
People have asked would I ever become a coach?
First you obviously have to like and respect the person but importantly believe that you could make a difference.
It would have to be something that excites and maybe down the track I’ll be sitting down with a young player telling him about the time I hung out with Lendl.
Originally published as Stars reap rewards of champion coaches