By Scoop Malinowski
The trend of a top player hiring the “super coach” is very popular now in tennis, especially after Ivan Lendl helped guide Andy Murray to finally win major titles at US Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics. The player needs a coach who has actually competed through the fire and fury of a Grand Slam major, and prevailed.
Jeff Salzenstein, a former top 100 ATP player and standout at Stanford University, isn’t so sure that hiring a former major champion as a coach is the most astute option because, in his view, the best coaches were not the most successful players – and the great champions do not automatically become decorated and accomplished coaches.
“I honestly think the tennis guru thing could be a bluff,” says Salzenstein. “The best coaches aren’t the best players in any sport…look at other sports. The champs don’t coach – Michael Jordan, Evander Holyfield, Magic Johnson, John Elway, Wayne Gretzky. Somehow tennis has fallen for it.”
Then Salzenstein points out some legendary coaches who were not super achievers as players… Bill Belichek, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Steve Kerr, Marian Vajda. I add a few others…Billy Martin, Al Arbour, Glen Sather and in tennis Larri Passos, the long time coach of Gustavo Kuerten, and Toni Nadal.
Salzenstein says a key component to successful player-coach relationship is “you can’t bullshit the young kids these days. And you have to connect with them. Today’s kids are more in tune.”
I try to refute this theory with some devil’s advocacy, by citing the glory of the most obvious example of the super coach success story, Lendl and Murray. “I think they can bring a confidence,” replies Jeff, “but it didn’t last. Like a Vadja has lasted.” Vajda of course was a mediocre ATP pro who didn’t manage to win any ATP titles.
Salzenstein offers some more points on the matter: “Just because you won or played at a high level does not mean you can coach. It’s a skill set. But our industry anoints people as coaches.”
“I feel like there’s merit with Lendl and Becker. they did bring something, they brought an element,” Salzenstein says. “But I think it’s difficult creating longevity because they might not understand the player, have the psychology skills to be able to understand what that player really needs. A guy like Vajda knows Djokovic inside and out. Knows the game inside and out. He has to study it more because he wasn’t a great player. and my example – I wasn’t world class and so I had to study the game relentlessly, which made me a better coach.”
Alexander Zverev, who hired Lendl as a co-coach at the end of the summer, has struggled with mediocre results since their partnership began. Today, Zverev got crushed in Paris by Karen Khachanov 62 61. As I have noted on this site a few times, Zverev and Lendl did not appear to have a good chemistry at the practice I saw of them together at US Open, which featured Lendl often trying to communicate with Zverev who did not turn his body fully to listen to the counsels or make eye contact. Zverev looked like he was not happy that Lendl was there on his team, invading his father’s territory. The body language suggested Alexander was tolerating Lendl’s presence more than valuing his words.
So could it be possible the super coaches like John McEnroe, Boris Becker and even Lendl are really an an illusion? Could the very best coaches in pro tennis actually be the lesser players who turn to coaching, like Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert, and their ilk? David MacPherson, Gunther Bresnik, Peter Lundgren.
And if this super coach trend soon ends, who will be the next Brad Gilbert and Darren Cahill types to step up and lead and guide an ATP player or players to evolve and develop into a Grand Slam major champion?
Perhaps Jeff Salzenstein, Vince Spadea, Mardy Fish, Fernando Vicente, Michael Russell, Peter Lucassen?
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catherine · November 3, 2018 at 3:07 am
Women players don’t tend to become coaches but ‘super coach’ Martina Navratilova did have an association with Radwanska. That didn’t work out well and as far as I know she’s never been involved with coaching again.
Salzenstein is right about longevity. Super coaches aren’t likely to stay around very long, in terms of years – I can’t think of one who has. They have different lives.
Scoop Malinowski · November 3, 2018 at 8:49 am
Also, Hingis tried coaching Putintseva for a short while, I saw them together in Miami. Of course Mauresmo was with Murray but whenever I watched him practice, she always just seemed to be standing on the side holding a racquet, not really interactive at all with Andy, it looked just for show. The move got Andy a lot more media attention. I never saw Mauresmo go over to Andy and explain something or offer any kind of counsel the times I saw them on the court, she looked more like a prop.
Hartt · November 3, 2018 at 8:52 am
Usually a super coach is in addition to a regular coach. For example, Luthi has been with Fed for 11 years, and the coaching relationship with Edberg actually lasted longer than they’d expected. Ljubicic has been part-time. It is usually Luthi we see in the stands. This has been the pattern for other super coaches. You wouldn’t really expect them to put in a lot of time coaching.
I think it’s a shame the regular coaches don’t get more credit when a super coach is on the scene. The way many media types carry on, you’d think the super coach was doing everything.
catherine · November 3, 2018 at 9:13 am
Hartt – that’s true about the media infatuation with super coaches. Look at the way reporters are ecstatic over Agassi and Dimitrov. And that sounds a doomed arrangement – the word ‘casual’ is not one you’d normally see applied to a coach, super or not. How can a ‘casual’ coach be anything other than window-dressing, or just interfering ?
BTW – a couple of years ago I swear I heard Martina say, during a commentary, that she’d like to coach Kerber 🙂
But I don’t know – ex-players, particularly top ones, often don’t fit the profile, as Salzenstein says above.
BJK eg was probably one of the worst coaches in the world.
catherine · November 3, 2018 at 9:20 am
Scoop – on coaching, you may have seen Muguruza got creamed 6-2 6-0 by Wang in Zhuhai. I was watching but had to leave at 2-2. Maybe a super coach could be the answer here because Sumyk’s not doing anything. Or Fisette is free I believe.
catherine · November 3, 2018 at 9:46 am
This is beyond embarrassing for Sumyk, who had a ‘testy’ exchange with Garbine in the first set. He really should resign and keep his self-respect.
Hartt · November 3, 2018 at 10:51 am
I think Sumyk should follow Cahill’s lead, and tell Garbine he is gone unless she changes her attitude. I used to like her as a player because she can serve well and is not allergic to the net. But her attitude is so poor (not just during OCC but how she handles her matches as well), that I am fed up with her.
I wonder how many coaches would be keen to take on a player with that attitude, however talented.
Hartt · November 3, 2018 at 10:54 am
Khachanov just had a pretty easy win over Thiem in SS. Dominic’s first serve was MIA, but Karen played extremely well. He has started to develop a net game and was 9/10 at the net.
Karen is now No. 12 in the live rankings. This will be his first Masters 1000 final. If he plays at this level next year he should have a wonderful season. Those of us who have been Karen fans for some time are seeing our faith in him rewarded. 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · November 3, 2018 at 1:35 pm
If Luthi was is such a fine coach, why does Federer need to hire reinforcement coaching? As Dan might say, Luthi is probably nothing more than Fed’s good buddy/caddy/cheerleader. Not sure what Luthi could possibly tell Federer to do in a match. Never heard once of Federer praising Luthi’s coaching prowess.
Scoop Malinowski · November 3, 2018 at 1:41 pm
At some point, given the way Muguruza mistreats Sumyk with little show of respect, I would not he shocked if he actually bitchslapped her on the court. Their relationship looks THAT bad,
Scoop Malinowski · November 3, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Khanchanov is now the official favorite to become only the second player in ATP history to win a major with a backwards cap on. Hewitt being the only one so far.
Scoop Malinowski · November 3, 2018 at 3:05 pm
Another epic Djokovic win vs Roger, 76 57 76, now leads overall h2h 25-22 and eight of last ten have gone his way. Dominating a very desperate and driven Roger who really wants to stop the Djokovic Express. But can’t.
Hartt · November 4, 2018 at 6:30 am
I think Khachanov is just about perfect, EXCEPT for the backwards baseball cap. Honestly, no one over 16 should do that. I am including Shapo as well.
catherine · November 4, 2018 at 6:44 am
Barty bt Wang in Zuhai, SS, a good neat match with a fair bit of courtcraft, spins and slices, volleys, lobs etc and great attitude from both players. Watched by Julia G who’d lost to Ashleigh, nice touch, and trophy presented by Steffi.
Barty’s had a good year, singles and doubles with CoCo but I’m wondering how she’s going to cope against big hitters next year. Sabalenka beat her in Zuhai.
Scoop Malinowski · November 4, 2018 at 8:13 am
Everyone should be a fan of Barty, for how she plays, nice slice, attacking player, but also her story of giving up tennis for two years to play cricket and then came back and is now a better player after giving up.
George · November 4, 2018 at 9:40 am
Jack Sock will drop out of the top 100, but snagging his beautiful girlfriend is pretty good consolation: https://heavy.com/sports/2018/09/katie-boulter-jack-socks-girlfriend/
Hartt · November 4, 2018 at 9:58 am
Well, Khachanov is married, so what’s a girl to do? 🙂
catherine · November 4, 2018 at 11:10 am
K bts Djoko in SS so his wife’s a lucky girl 🙂
Hartt · November 4, 2018 at 11:49 am
As a longtime Khachanov fan, I was super excited about his win today. Novak was not at his best, was visibly tired, but winning against him is never easy. Karen played a great match and deserved the win.
And I get a treat! I wasn’t overly optimistic about that, but thought Karen had a chance, if he played his best today.
Scoop Malinowski · November 4, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Khachanov taking major steps this year. Could produce a Safin blockbuster major win next year.
Thomas Tung · November 4, 2018 at 4:25 pm
Karen was too strong out there for an ailing Novak — but he had to work real hard to get his win this week. Yevgeny Kafelnikov (a number of years back) said that Khachanov was the one to watch, amongst all the young up-and-coming Russians. Guess he knew what he was talking about 😉
Scoop Malinowski · November 4, 2018 at 7:21 pm
Thomas, it doesn’t matter how tired Novak was, Khachanov played super tennis to secure the win. He had to earn it and did. There will be no asterisks with this title, There will be many more.
Thomas Tung · November 5, 2018 at 12:16 am
Heh, I think you’re reading “too much between the lines” on my earlier comment, Scoop — no “asterisks” (or secret, snarky commentary, or subtle downputting, what modern slang now calls “shading) were meant or given by me — it was just a straightforward comment. Sometimes a spade is just a spade …
As for the whole “coaching” thing, I thought this commentary focusing on the whole Sumyk-Muguruza issue (complete with video clips) was pretty interesting:
https://catgutandleather.wordpress.com/2018/11/04/the-changeover-garbine-muguruza-and-sam-sumyk/
catherine · November 5, 2018 at 2:10 am
Thanks for the link.
What a mess. I hardly think these kind of exchanges are what the WTA had in mind when they justified OCC as bringing ‘entertainment’ to the game.
And – OCC is broadcast live, or intended to be. If a player was as free with the Anglo Saxon when actually playing they’d be penalised, wouldn’t they ?
Muguruza’s behaviour losing to Wang in Zhuhai was a disgrace. If this kind of stuff is coming out of her coaching relationship then both coach and player should part company. It’s toxic. Unpleasant to see and listen to.
Garbine needs some help. And a new coach. Sumyk could probably do with some professional advice as well.
Gaurang · November 5, 2018 at 3:34 am
Khachanov has stupendous talent. He can hit all shots well. He is super strong from the back of the court as well as great serve and volley. He has great FH and BH and can go cross court or down the line at will with very low error rates.
He can defend very well, and has great offensive shots; and does not require as much rallying time to go for offensive groundstrokes.
He has a great tennis mind — this results in him having great shot selection and ability to maintain steady, top class performance throughout the match. This is the reason he was able to acheive straight set wins over Zverev, Thiem and Djokovic in 3 days.
None of the other nextgen players – including Zverev, Theim, Coric, Tsitsipas, Kyrgios, de Minaur, Shapavalov, Chung, Medvedev, Edmund, etc have all of these qualities.
Following are bold claims — one basis of these claims is that Fed, Nadal and Delpo will be injured for some portion of next year. His only real competition is Djokovic, and he can defeat Djokovic when he is playing well.
Claim #1: Khachanov is the best player under the age of 30 right now.
Claim #2: Next year, Khachanov will win multiple Masters tournaments.
Claim #3: Next year, Khachanov will reach final-8 of Slams 2-3 times, and final-4 2 times.
Claim #4: Next year Khachanov will win 1 slam with 70% probability.
Claim #5: Next year, Khachanov will end as top 5 player.
Claim #6: Khachanov will be the first player outside the current top 4 ranked players to be #1. (i. e. outside of Novak, Nadal, Fed and Delpo).
Claim #7: Khachanov will be #1 in the next 2-2.5 years.
Claim #8: Khachanov will have a winning record against top 10 players next year.
Claim #9: Khachanov will have an equal or winning record against Djokovic next year.
Which claims above do you agree with? 🙂
Hartt · November 5, 2018 at 7:15 am
I am a huge Khachanov fan and have been for a few years now. I think he will have a very successful season next year and will go deep in some big tourneys and will be inside the top 8.
But I don’t think we should get carried away. Karen played some of his best tennis yesterday, but he won’t always bring that level. Like many aggressive, powerful players, when Karen is on he is close to unplayable. But when he isn’t on, those shots don’t stay in the court and he racks up UFEs.
The other positive is that he has improved dramatically this year, and his net game now gives him another weapon. He probably will continue to improve, which has to be a worry for other ATP players.
But in comparing him to the other young players, he is, at 22 years old, 1-3 years older than several of them. He wasn’t this skilled as a 19 or 20 year old. The other youngsters should also improve, and we will have a better idea of where to slot them in 2 to 3 years time.
Scoop Malinowski · November 5, 2018 at 8:57 am
No, Thomas I was not directing that at you. Just I think some might downplay this win by Khachanov, even if it’s fractional, it’s not fair, King Kong Khachanov is the real deal. Regarding Sumyk vs Muguruza, it’s horrible how they treat each other, there should be an investigation on how two people who detest each other stay together. Never have seen one second of warmth or smiles between these two. I mean, Serena and Maria don’t hate each other this much. At least they don’t express it verbally, if they do 🙂
catherine · November 5, 2018 at 9:20 am
Scoop – the WTA should not allow this kind of behaviour on court and therefore broadcast on tv and again on youtube. Demeans the player, the coach, the sport. I’d like to see a reprimand or something similar handed out but I bet we won’t.
I don’t suppose anyone foresaw this kind of thing happening when they thought up the OCC whiz.
Scoop Malinowski · November 5, 2018 at 10:04 am
Catherine, Muguruza and Sumyk have a disturbing relation. She might keep him around just so she can abuse him and treat him like sh**. Something is very very strange here.