Australian Open: Ex-stars add finishing touch

DOWN the corridors of Melbourne Park you find them, this army of Yodas in shorts, walking behind players like a band of tennis whisperers.

Later they sit unmoving in the players' box, their life expectancy unknown, unable to play a match yet hoping their one idea can affect its outcome.

Welcome to the world of the coach, or as Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer's cornerman, told me and a fellow writer yesterday: "It's more difficult to watch than play."

On court 16 yesterday, Edberg and Severin Luthi, the Swiss Davis Cup captain who doubles as Federer's second coach, watch their player polish his return of serve.

It is unkindly hot but Federer wears no hat and merely produces his own brilliant heat. Later, the three men converge. Talking footwork? Or where to dine?

Tennis remains madly enamoured with the idea of star coaches and yet also two coaches. Novak Djokovic has Marian Vajda and Boris Becker.

Even Rafael Nadal has Francisco Roig as an understudy to his regular coach, who is splendidly unusual for he has no playing CV. Uncle Toni has always been a man apart.

Andy Murray, agile mind hidden behind dour face, was the unlikely trendsetter. First, in a brilliant experiment, he hired Ivan Lendl, who had never coached before. Then, to the spluttering of occasional chauvinists, he took on a woman, Amelie Mauresmo.

Men have always coached women and the reverse seems logical to Ivan Ljubicic, once world No. 3 and now one of Milos Raonic's coaches.

As he said: "It's the same sport. I don't see any issues there. (The men's game) is faster, but the coach has to tell the player what to do, not do it for him."

What Lendl did was to swiftly turn that old adage, great players don't make great coaches, on its unwise head. As Edberg, understated as he once was stylish, noted dryly: "Among the old generations, there is some knowledge."

The star-coach does not carry large screwdrivers for his tuning work is subtle. He scarcely needs to tutor his charge on how to play first-round matches. Federer can do that quite nicely.

But Edberg, and Goran Ivanisevic, who mentors Marin Cilic, and Michael Chang, who helps Kei Nishikori, have won major finals, they're old pals with pressure. It makes the hiring of them a "no-brainer", says former player Sam Smith.

Such coaches, explains Smith, bring with them a "bundle" of experiences. Lendl, for instance, was coached by the great Tony Roche, who in turn was refined by the legendary Harry Hopman. To Murray, therefore, he brought a wisdom collected across the ages.

Secondly, points out Smith, players may believe they give 100 per cent in practice. But if Martina Navratilova is watching courtside, then Agnieska Radwanska, with whom she has formed a duet, is going to push harder. It is effort gained without a word spoken.

Edberg, like a member of a secret society, is sparse with specifics regarding Federer. "Maybe small things can make a difference, whether tactically or movement. Former players can have knowledge of the small details."

And these details, says Ljubicic, can be invisible. "There are certain things you can't see. For example, scheduling. People cannot see that. But it can make a huge impact. There's also the mental side. (But) it's not like Edberg is going to change Roger's game, or Becker's going to change Novak's game. These former players can add something that matters in the semis of a slam."

Still, I ask, what does he see altered in Federer's game and Ljubicic, a bald philosopher, ponders. "I see Roger taking more risks. I see him swinging more backhands rather than slicing. But we're talking about small things. Out of 100 backhands, say, two years ago he would slice 50 and hit 50. Now he's slicing 42 and hitting 58."

I ask about Federer shortening his points and Ljubicic's explanation is striking. "I don't think he's trying to get away from rallying long. It's just his chance of winning points is bigger on shorter points. And no one else is playing that way, so he's putting players into very uncomfortable positions. But they're very comfortable (positions) for him."

Did this idea come from Edberg? Does Federer require such basic tactical babysitting? Perhaps the beauty of their arrangement is its very mystery.

Either way players will persist with it for glory is worth any cost. "And it's not just coaches," cautions Ljubicic. "Coaches are the ones the camera is always showing. But there's a whole machine behind."

He then proceeds to list Raonic's entourage: two coaches, physio, fitness coach, doctor.

It might seem overdone, yet in an intense environment, where talent is separated by nothing, every athlete craves an edge. An extra idea. It is enchanting, for it is the great player telling himself, and us, that he isn't yet great enough.

rohitb@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 23, 2015.
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