Chennai: The hottest topic in tennis these days is the star-studded coaching crew. As soon as the curtain went down on the 2013 season, players went on a signing spree and unveiled a slew of big names such as Boris Becker (Novak Djokovic), Stefan Edberg (Roger Federer), Michael Chang (Kei Nishikori), Goran Ivanisevic (Marin Cilic) and Sergi Bruguera (Richard Gasquet).
The latest trend of hiring a former grand slam champion for a coaching role was started by Andy Murray when he roped in eight-time slam winner Ivan Lendl in 2012. The Czech legend’s association with the Scot worked wonders at once as Murray defeated Federer to claim the gold at the 2012 London Olympics and went on to beat Djokovic in the US Open final the same year.
Murray’s rapid strides seem to have inspired others to follow suit. According to former India Davis Cupper Vijay Amritraj, a contemporary of Lendl, having a big name sitting in the player’s box could intimidate the opponent. “There is no question about it. SubconÂsciously, there would be some pressure when you see a player like Becker in the opponent’s camp. Maybe this is what they are looking at apart from injecting some new ideas into their game,” Vijay said.
Becker and Edberg were fierce rivals during their playing days and they featured in three consecutive Wimbledon finals from 1988. Vijay said he was looking forward to seeing their rivalry renewed on the sidelines. “It’s almost like an ensemble cast and should be interesting to watch. Theirs has always been a rivalry of personalities.
Becker’s flamboyance is in total contrast to Edberg’s nature. Djokovic and Federer play different brands of tennis and the two are going to play the way they have been. The confidence you gain listening to the two legends is going to be the difference,” added Vijay.
World No.8 Stanislas Wawrinka, who is the top seed at the Chennai Open, doesn’t believe in the psychological edge Vijay had been talking about. However, the Swiss player, who is coached by former world no. 2 and 2000 French Open runner-up Magnus Norman, says the return of Edberg and Becker on Tour is good for tennis.
“It worked well for Murray and let’s see how the new combinations pan out. The one advantage of having these big names is they know what it takes to achieve success in grand slams,” added Wawrinka.
While Murray and Lendl proved to be a dream ticket, Maria Sharapova’s much-publicised signing of Jimmy Connors lasted just one match and the eight-time grand slam champion was sacked unceremoniously after the glam girl lost to an unheralded player at Cincinnati Masters.
World no. 26 Benoit Paire, who is coached by Lionel Zimbler, says he prefers someone who could make a lot of difference to his game than the one who comes with star power.
