Roger Federer of Switzerland and coach Ivan Ljubicic after winning the 2018 Australian Open title. (Getty Images)
Roger Federer has a former tennis star as his current coach
With a record 20 Grand Slams to his name, there is no denying that Swiss genius Roger Federer is one of the all-time greats in the game of tennis.
Despite being 40, Federer still reigns the tennis world and is one of the biggest names.
A former World No.1, Federer still remains one of the biggest draws in the sport. The Swiss star is a part of the famed ‘Big Three’ that includes Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Serb Novak Djokovic.
However, every player needs a trainer or a coach to stay in shape to maintain such longevity in tennis.
The Swiss maestro, over the period of time, has been trained by a number of high-profile coaches. However, let’s now take a look at his current coach.
Federer is currently coached by his old rival and former World No.3 Ivan Ljubicic. The Croatian has played a crucial role in Federer’s success in the last few years of his career.
Ljubicic took over the role of Federer’s coach in December 2015. However, he rose to fame after he helped Canadian Milos Raonic reach his first Masters title in Toronto back in 2013.
In his first full season under Ljubicic, Raonic also broke into the top-ten rankings in 2014. Coming back to Federer, Ljubicic and the Swiss star together won many laurels including the Australian Open in 2017 and 2018, the Wimbledon title in 2017 among many others.
Moreover, Ljubicic has been credited with helping Federer improve his backhand. He has also played a major role in helping Federer make tactical changes and devise strategies upon his opponent’s game with his increasing age.
However, the two have not won any Grand Slam since the 2018 Australian Open. In fact, Federer has struggled to even make finals on a regular basis in the Grand Slams.
The Swiss ace has only reached one final, the 2019 Wimbledon one since winning the 2018 Australian Open. Of course, age and injuries have played their part in Federer’s poor run of form. Nevertheless, the 20-time Grand Slam champion remains one of the biggest names on the circuit and it will be interesting to see how he applies himself in the final years of his career.
Before making his name as a coach, Ljubicic was a talented player until his retirement from the game in 2012. He turned a professional back in 1998 and was a recognisable name in the junior level after his impressive displays at Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
The Croatian was a finalist at the 1996 Wimbledon juniors and a semi-finalist at the 1997 Australian Open respectively. In the senior level, his best-ever performance came when he emerged runner-up at the 2006 French Open Grand Slam.
Ljubicic also has 10 career titles to his name. This includes an ATP Masters 1000 title which he won at the Indian Wells Masters in 2010. The 42-year-old also racked up $10m+ during his playing career. The Croatian holds a career record of 429–296, and he also won a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics games in the doubles category.
However, his greatest ever achievement as a professional happened when he grabbed a career-high ATP ranking of 3 in 2006. He played the final game of his career at Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in 2012 April.
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