Wim and Naomi. Dani and Karolina. Conchita and Garbine. Darren and Simona. Marcos and Elina. Brad and Tommy. They’re just a handful of the new or revived player-coach partnerships on show at the Australian Open 2020.
Defending champion Naomi Osaka is linked up with Wim Fissette, a Belgian with one of the most recognizable faces in women’s tennis, who worked with Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber, just to name a few.
MORE: AO2020 women’s draw
“I feel like I'm learning from everything that he says and I try to apply it,” said this year’s third seed.
One of her strokes is already in the spotlight. “The serve is probably her biggest weapon, so that is always the biggest focus…you need keep working on the biggest strength,” said Fissette at the Brisbane International.
“She’s an amazing player with a lot of potential and the more I get to know her, the more I believe in her,” he added, crediting Osaka’s improved movement in recent years. Known for his focus on analytics, he’s hoping an enhanced use of data will help the Japanese star achieve her goals which are aligned with his own: to win Grand Slams and reclaim the world No.1 ranking.
“With a player like Naomi, you go to tournaments to win them, not to play finals or semifinals, that’s the ambition and I love that ambition,” said Fissette, who believes he works best under pressure.
Two-time major champion Simona Halep reunited with Darren Cahill, who guided her to the 2018 Roland Garros crown. “It's great to have him back in my team,” said the Romanian second seed, who contested the Adelaide International in Cahill’s hometown before the Australian Open and made time to meet players at his beloved Port Adelaide Football Club. “We have many things to do together. I have still many things to learn from him so I'm happy to have him again by my side.”
Elaborating on their pre-season training, the 28-year-old said Cahill told her to increase her leg strength, in part because she’s getting older. “I worked the hardest since I started to play professional [tennis]” she said, adding that she expects her efforts to deliver results throughout the season.
Fifth seed Elena Svitolina kicked off her campaign in Melbourne Park with a new face -- 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis -- in her player’s box alongside head coach Andrew Bettles.
“As an ex-player he sees the game from his point and it's something different that I was looking for to add into my game,” explained the Ukrainian. “I want to thank Elina for putting her trust in me. Let’s do this!” Baghdatis posted on Twitter last month.
And it’s so far, so good, for unseeded Garbine Muguruza, who began working full-time with countrywoman Conchita Martinez. There’s a sense of familiarity with the 1994 Wimbledon champion, who briefly steered her to the 2017 Wimbledon title and helmed Spain’s Fed Cup team.
“We've known each other for so many years, we’ve got along since the first day we met,” said the 26 year-old, acknowledging the duo’s prior success. Still, she’s very much grounded in reality: “Of course, there's no guarantees. Nobody's magical. I think the secret is put [in] the work, hang in there, fight hard.”
This week also marked the Grand Slam debut for Amanda Anisimova and Carlos Rodriguez, the respected Argentinean who coached Justine Henin and Li Na to major titles. Notably, fresh player-coach dynamics aren’t only being tested in the women’s game.
At the ATP Cup in Sydney, Dominic Thiem – the fifth seed searching for his first slam title -- announced that Thomas Muster would join his team for 20 weeks in 2020 alongside main coach, Nico Massu.
“I want to commit myself to this guy, and I want to make him better than I ever was,” said the Austrian former world No.1 who won the 1995 French Open. “He’s the only one I ever would have done it for, because to have an Austrian who has that opportunity, I mean, you have to kind of commit yourself. It's almost a must,” added Muster, who has previously turned down coaching engagements.
And American Tommy Paul earned one of the best wins of his career in the second round over 18th seed Dimitrov in his first Grand Slam under the tutelage of Brad Stine. The Californian native is best known for coaching Jim Courier to multiple slam titles and guided Kevin Anderson during the South African’s ascent to a career-high world No.5.
Paul’s third-round conqueror, Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, credited his own strong start – which included a four-set win over 13th seed Denis Shapovalov in the first round -- to time spent during the offseason improving his serve with new coaches Miklós Jancsó and Zoltán Nagy.
It’s early days yet, but we can’t wait to see how these teams fare this fortnight and in the seasons to come.