Behind the Baseline - Top 5 Contemporary coaches

In men’s tennis it has becoming a contemporary saying “Behind every great man there is another great man”.

Three of the fancied big four in World Tennis today have hired high-profile coaching staff. Days after Novak Djokovic appointed German Legend Boris Becker as his Head Coach, Swiss Maestro Roger Federer joined the chorus making the great Swede Stefan Edberg a part of coaching team.

Though coaches do play a pivotal role in players performance their legendary achievement has got little relevance in players life. A good rapport with players style of play is the essential ingredient of a quality coach.

Here are my five best coaches in contemporary men’s tennis.

5. Franco Davin:

Franco Davin has played an integral role in Del Potros’s success

Not many of would know but Franco Davin holds the record of the youngest player to win a match on professional circuit. But currently Davin is the head coach of Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro. Under Davín’s tutelage, Del Potro won the 2009 US Open, defeating Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and Roger Federer in the final en route to the championship. The argentine has defeated Lionel Messi to win the Argentina’s sportsperson of the year.

4. Magnus Norman:

Magical Magnus’s watched his student stan play at the 2013 roland Gaross

Stan Wawrinka had been a player languishing in mid twenties of ATP ranking for a long time, but in 2013 he finished with his career high ranking of no.8.The sudden resilience and rise of the Swiss can partly be attributed to his recent partnership with former world no.2 Magnus Norman. Since April 2013 Norman started working with Stan and the partnership is paying off with the 28-year-old Wawrinka boasting a 7-7 record against top 10 opponents in 2013. In the previous three years it was a combined 7-26. Norman, 37, coached Robin Soderling when he inflicted Rafael Nadal’s only defeat at Roland Garros on his way to the 2009 final. Norman’s magic is definitely working wonders with Wawrinka but the 8 month relationship still has a long way to go.

3. Marian Vajda:

(In the shadows of Djokovic, Yet Vajda has been playing a pivotal in his success)

Novak Djokovic may have appointed Boris Becker as his new head coach, Vajda still remains to be a part of Noles coaching team. Since June 2006, Vajda has been the coach of Djokovic. For his great success with the Serbian tennis player, Vajda won the award for best coach by the Serbian Olympic committee in both 2010 and 2011.Vajda‘s reign saw Nole reach the zenith of his success attaining the World No.1 rank and winning 6 Grand Slams. He is also believed to have persuaded Nole to a gluten free diet that had caused him fatigue problem in the earlier part of his career. Whilst he doesn’t receive copious media attention he has been a conscious worker behind the Nole’s success.

2. Ivan Lendl:

(Lendl deserves a fair share of credit for Murray’s achievement)

The former world no.1 took reigns of scot Andy Murray in 2012. When Andy Murray kept falling at the final hurdle, the tennis legend Ivan Lendl knew exactly how he felt – and, as his new coach, what it would take to make him a winner. Ivan Lendl’s patience and hard work helped Murray break his grand slam jinx guiding him to his first Grand slam title the US Open in 2012.But Lendl’s greatest achievement came on July 7,2013 when his disciple Andy Murray broke the British hoodoo over Wimbledon. Under Lendl’s guidance Murray won the prestigious Wimbledon becoming the first British man in 77 years to do so .Lendl’s biggest challenge now will be to administer Murray’s rehabilitation after a back surgery. The year 2014 might also a see a new form of Lendl-Becker rivalry.

1. Toni Nadal:

(king of clay Rafa embracing and acknowledging his coach and Uncle Toni after his victory).

Perhaps the most adorable and enigmatic tennis coach on ATP circuit is Rafael Nadal’s coach and uncle Toni. The Spaniard is popularly called “Uncle Toni” by tennis lovers all over the world. Unlike all others in this list Toni Nadal wasn’t a great tennis player still a great coach. Rafa recalls in his autobiography that Uncle Toni terrified him, However if it wasn’t for him he would have never become a great champion and legend. Uncle Toni is a hard task master. Toni trained his nephew Rafa on poor courts with bad tennis balls, just to teach Rafael that winning or losing is not about the quality of courts, strings, lights or balls but that it is about attitude, discipline and perspective. Rafa himself admits these training ordeals and Uncle Toni’s guidance helped him endure injuries and instilled the never say die spirit. This Uncle-nephew bonding is perhaps the best ongoing tennis rapport in the world.