As is often the case in an age of instant media, amazement was quickly followed by amusement.
During a flurry of off-season moves in which several world-class players hired former superstars as coaches, a craze that morphed from trickle to trend seemingly overnight, Novak Djokovic laughed when he saw some biographical information posted online.
Given the starry pedigrees of the newly minted mentors, their success rates had been playfully detailed – compiled while playing against the other new coaches, in matches contested decades ago.
“That was very funny to see,” Djokovic said, “and if they should happen to play, I’d be more than happy to be the chair umpire for those matches.”
Seems only fair, since those high-profile instructors will be occupying a different hot seat as the season’s first grand slam, the Australian Open, begins this week in Melbourne.
In perhaps the biggest surprise, world No 2 Djokovic hired six-time slam winner Boris Becker, who has zero coaching experience.
A few days later, 17-time grand slam winner Roger Federer brought aboard Stefan Edberg in a short-term coaching deal. That combo was immediately dubbed “Fedberg”. Come to think of it, “Bokovic” has a nice ring to it, too.
The coach collecting has been roundly interpreted as a backhanded compliment to Scottish star Andy Murray, who hired eight-time slam champion Ivan Lendl before the 2012 season and has since won the US Open and Wimbledon. Just call them “Ivandy”.
Although the top players would never admit to outright mimicry, Murray is clearly onto something.
The Briton, who was in Abu Dhabi last month for the annual Mubadaba World Tennis Championship, characterised his decision to hire Lendl in precise terms. Becoming the first British male to win Wimbledon in 77 years turned many heads among his brethren.
“I had never won a grand slam when I started working with him, and he had lost his first four grand slam finals,” Murray said.
“Having him in my corner for that, he taught me the emotions of how to come out the other side of it, and it has made a huge difference. I have a tremendous amount of respect for everything he achieved on the court, and anything he says, you will listen to a bit more clearly.”
Stanislas Wawrinka, the world No 8, who hired former No 2 Magnus Norman, said Murray’s last point cannot be understated.
If nothing else, former stars were hired because they have been there, done that.
“He will always give something special because he knows what it is like to be there, how it is to play the match, how it is to be under pressure, and that is very important,” Wawrinka said. “A coach who wasn’t a player won’t know.”
Federer, attempting to find a spark after sliding down the rankings to No 6, hired childhood hero Edberg. The move was done with the hope that “it would be something fresh, new, inspiring”, he said two weeks ago.
Federer became the seventh player in the top 13 to add a former star to his stable, with six of the coaching additions coming last year. To some they have become must-have vanity items, but they have caused smirks elsewhere.
“In my opinion, tennis is more about the player than the coach,” world No 1 Rafael Nadal said. “That does not mean that I am right.”
The hiring pace has become downright dizzying, though the pay off remains to be seen. World No 37 Marin Cilic, a former top-10 player who hired former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic in mid-2013, claims he has already seen dividends.
“Goran says all the things that he went through many more times than I did already in my career,” Cilic said two weeks ago. “He can show me and tell me in front, ‘OK, be careful of this’.”
There are other possible explanations for the coach-collecting binge, of course. Some rather bluntly stated.
“There aren’t that many good coaches out there right now,” said Pat Cash, a former Wimbledon winner and world No 4.
Nadal, who has been coached throughout his career by his uncle, Toni Nadal, all but laughed when the possibility of hiring a celebrity coach was broached.
“Coaching tennis is not such a big deal,” Nadal said with a shrug.
Easy to say from atop the heap. Nadal stormed back last year after a seven-month injury lay-off and reclaimed the top ranking with 10 ATP victories, which some believe prompted the displaced Djokovic to consider alternatives.
Djokovic won in Australia last year, but lost in two other slam finals. At this point, it is all about the major titles for the Serbian star.
“That is obviously one of the reasons Boris is on board,” Djokovic said. “He has won six of those grand slams and knows how it feels to be facing the adversity, the pressures, the expectations of playing in a big tournament as one of the favourites.
“That would be my primary goal – a priority, or a focus or a mission or whatever you want to call it.”
He left out “obsession”.
Others who went into hiring mode in the off-season include world No 9 Richard Gasquet, who secured the services of two-time French Open winner Sergi Bruguera, and former world No 2 Michael Chang has taken on coaching 17th-ranked Kei Nishikori.
Given the sporting tendency to replicate success, if this trend works out, cue the lemmings. Anybody got a mobile number for Andre Agassi or Pete Sampras? The top guys are being scooped up quickly.
Chemistry will be important, so it could take weeks to see which sets of alpha males can peacefully coexist. That variable is not gender-specific, of course.
Mid last year, Maria Sharapova hired former superstar Jimmy Connors as coach – an arrangement that lasted one match, a first-round loss in Cincinnati.
“It’s not the right fit for this time in my career,” Sharapova said.
The others who hired the 1980s-era heroes sense that having familiar names back at centre court will be good for the game, if nothing else. When Becker was coaching Djokovic on a practice court at the Mubadala event two weeks ago, fans were yelling his name as often as that of the Serbian star.
As Murray tweeted minutes after Federer hired Edberg: “How great is it to have all these legends of the game coaching? Absolutely loving it. #mycoachisbetterthanyoursnanananana”
“I wish them, not the best of luck, because they are rivals,” Nadal said. “But it’s great to see them.”
Djokovic, seeking to extend his record run of three Australian Opens in a row over the next two weeks, offered the simplest explanation for the mass hiring.
“Why not?” he said. “We’re all aware that these people have made history in our sport. We know they can help us. I don’t see a negative.”
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