Newsletter

The best coaches of the year: Ferrero, Piatti …

The end of season 2021 tennis. This year we have rediscovered the full stadiums, with a calendar more similar to normality. We have left behind, although not completely, quarantines, isolates, and to a lesser extent, PCR tests and bubbles. It has been a season in which some players have shone and others, perhaps, have stagnated. In any case, the growth of a player does not come alone: ​​the people around him play a fundamental role, including his own coaches, those who guide all his steps from the bench. Thus, as part of our review of the season, we launched seven names that have played a key role in the progression or success of their pupil, with the aim, of course, of building a debate and that you, too, pass judgment.

GILLES CERVARA

Daniil Medvedev has established himself this season as the second best player in the world without question. I already knew what it was to beat the best, but this 2021 he managed to break the ice where it matters most: in the big squares. His success at the US Open made him the only former member of the NextGen Grand Slam champion, and he came, as if that were not enough, before the number one in the world. His status and hierarchy have gone to another dimension throughout this season … and none of it is explained without his particular “Sanchopanza”, an introverted-looking Frenchman who has done a commendable job. His pre-game analysis and tactical work is beyond any doubt, and his modification in the approach to the game before facing the final at Flushing Meadows was a major reason for his success. If anyone thought that last year was a coincidence, Cervara and his pupil have made it clear that there is Daniil for a while.

RICCARDO PIATTI

Beyond the occasional Grand Slams loss (the big goal for next year), Jannik Sinner has broken his shell this season: he successfully defended his first title, made his ATP Finals debut, reached a Masters 1000 final and it sneaked into the top 10 of the year. Significant achievements for a guy who, as they say, has just begun to write his story. And that story cannot be understood without the presence of Piatti at his side, a coach who has burned his place in the olympus of coaches. We knew about his work with other great players: Djokovic, Ljubicic, Gasquet, Raonic … but, in the case of the transalpine, Riccardo has managed his career with mastery from the first moment, being an integral part of his successes and instilling in him an ethic of work and effort that has made him be where he is today.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO

If the evolution of Sinner has left more than one jaw dropped, Carlos Alcaraz’s season has made many fans take their heads. Equaling and beating precocity records left and right, the Murcian hardly needed the first half of the season to establish himself on the ATP circuit: the second was a declaration of intent for the future. At 18 years old, the eyes of half the world are already on someone with innate conditions … but those conditions are chiseled by a guy who knows the challenges and obstacles of this sport. If Alcaraz keeps his feet on the ground and shows such maturity for his age, it is, in large part, thanks to a Juanki who is not only his coach, but also his mentor, his guide, a walking instruction manual for someone to who the spotlights have come to him early. A binomial destined for success that has landed standing on the professional circuit.

CRAIG BOYNTON

Jim Courier, John Isner, Mardy Fish. All of them passed through the hands of Craig Boynton, a name not so well known to the general public who has shaped one of the most pleasant surprises of the year: Hubert Hurkacz. With the Pole installed in the United States, Boynton’s presence in training sessions and in the preseason blocks is common: it is not a trivial factor, since Hubert has shown that the continued stoppage of the circuit and the calendar changes have It is also an important factor in explaining the success of the Pole in America, although this year he has already shown that he knows how to give the call in other places: semifinals in Wimbledon or in Paris-Bercy, debut in the ATP Finals and a guaranteed ticket in the top-10. A gigantic evolution that cannot be understood without Craig by the side.

WAYNE FERREIRA

Many will remember the South African as a familiar face of the circuit in the 1990s and early 2000s. An Olympic medalist and champion in two Masters Series, Wayne had a magnificent career that he is now trying to transfer to the bench. His latest adventure does not take place with a guy, precisely, easy to train: what is more, he is probably one of the most unpredictable and anarchic players on the circuit. Their relationship, in fact, has been marked by certain ups and downs … but it seems that the effort and work pay off, and the tremendous improvement in Frances Tiafoe’s game is due in large part to the presence of the South African in his box. . His final stretch of the season, which has allowed him to return to the top-40 and reach a final (Vienna, leaving a memorable tournament) and another semifinal (Stockholm) shows a clear evolution in terms of playing patterns and taking advantage of his best shots consistently. It is tremendously difficult to tame Frances, and Ferreira seems to have succeeded after a long time. A deserved inclusion.

FACUNDO LUGONES

Facundo’s case is a reward for perseverance and loyalty. The Argentine met Cameron Norrie when they were both at Texas Christian University, with a common dream, that of being part of the professional circuit after passing through college. However, the Briton decided to propose to his good friend a different path: to accompany him and guide him on his way to professionalism. Lugones accepted, and years later begins to collect the revenues of a worker’s job. Norrie’s tennis has exploded during a spectacular season, a demonstration of consistency, work capacity and perseverance that has had the ideal counterpoint in Facundo. When you get to the best views after a hard walk with a friend, triumphs taste better; if not, let them tell Cam, affectionately renamed “chicken” by Lugones.

SEBASTIÁN GUTIÉRREZ

Double Argentine presence on this list, and no wonder. Within the generation of albiceleste jewels that are coming, one of the players who has made the most noise is Sebastián Báez, who has broken the door of the top-100 with hammer blows (he did not receive a single invitation to any event this year), with 6 titles on the Challenger circuit and a few creditable semifinals in the Next Gen tournament. Along with him, his squire, a Gutiérrez with whom he has an enormous emotional bond, with whom he has shared trips to half the world and who he enjoys the successes of his pupil as if he were the one who hits every right on the court. “Thanks to him I was able to get to where I am today,” says Báez of a guy so involved in his work to the point of declaring that, for him, “Seba is everything.” An emotional relationship that he obtained, with his ticket to the Australian Open, the reward for so many years of work.

.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending