Roger Federer of Switzerland and coach Ivan Ljubicic after winning the 2018 Australian Open title. (Getty Images)
Croatian Ljubicic and Federer joined hands in 2016 and has been crucial to the latter’s success in recent years
Ivan Ljubicic was in support of Roger Federer, who recently put up a proposal to unite the ATP and WTA boards.
Ljubicic, who joined the Swiss maestro’s coaching staff in 2016, felt the same way as his pupil. The Croatian mooted for a single tennis body to lead the game.
However, Ljubicic, a former World No.3, and Federer’s old foe soon added that it would take a long time to become a reality.
“I would like a single body to lead tennis. The two circuits together could have a value that would be more than double the current value,” Ljubicic said during an interview with Sky Sports Italia.
“We thought that television could buy the rights to all the men’s and women’s Grand Slam and Masters. At that point it would be very interesting and would have more value than individual tournaments. The idea is very good, although to achieve it there is still a long way to go.”
Ljubicic also spoke about the return of tennis after the coronavirus break and opined that the more experienced players would be able to adapt to new situations.
Meanwhile, the Croatian coach revealed that Federer, who will turn 40 next year still had no plans of retiring from the game.
“We have not yet spoken about 2021. Time doesn’t stop and Roger will turn 40 next year, but he still doesn’t think about his possible retirement,” Ljubicic said.
He also gave an update on Federer’s recovery after the knee operation in February, stating that the Swiss star was undergoing rehabilitation.
Federer had earlier decided to miss the season until the grass-court events before play got suspended due to the pandemic coronavirus outbreak.
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