Ivan Ljubicic: Roger Federer's latest sneak attack

Roger Federer with his new Coach Ivan Ljubicic. Can Ljubicic help find the missing link to Grand Slam No. 18 ?

The off season in tennis is a time when players let their hair down, recoup and spend time with their families. Amongst the buzz created by the International Premier Tennis League and the Champions Tennis League Roger Federer offered the tennis world yet another sneak attack, with the new season still a fortnight away, by announcing that he would be parting ways with coach and idol Stefan Edberg, and that Ivan Ljubicic would be taking over as his new coach.

“There are no facts, only interpretations” said the German Philosopher and poet Friedrich Nietzsche. Likewise Federer loves to have his game interpreted in various ways. His effort to stay relevant over the years has been keeping the pundits on their toes but what is more interesting is the kind of choices he makes each time to raise the bar.

Federer’s team has always been a relatively small one. Unlike Novak Djokovic, who prefers a fairly large team with a host of physiotherapists to keep him in top shape, Federer has always had a core team, with his main anchor in Severin Luthi, and added another coach at different stages in his career.

From 1999 onwards, most of Federer’s coaches, like Peter Lundgren, Tony Roche, Paul Annacone and Stefan Edberg have been from the serve-and-volley school of tennis. Most of them did help Federer add a new dimension to his game that resulted in Grand Slams.

Though the Fedberg partnership fell short of an 18th Slam over the last two years, it helped the Swiss become sharp at the net.

Countering the baseliners

Federer’s latest choice of Ivan Ljubicic as a new coach is a very interesting one. Ljubicic, a former ATP player who won the Indian Wells in 2010, was predominantly a baseline player. Federer, over time, has aimed to keep the points short with some effective serving and rushing the net.

While this approach has paid rich dividends on fast surfaces like the ones in Dubai and Shanghai in the last two years, he has run into trouble on the slower surfaces. Players who enjoy baseline slugfests have got the better of him. It will be intriguing to see what Ljubicic can help add to Federer’s game to counter baseliners.

Better insights into modern-day tennis

Ivan Ljubicic retired from the Sport about 3 years back in 2012. Unlike Federer’s past Coaches who have all been from an older era, Ljubicic is more contemporary and has been Federer’s rival. Having coached Milos Raonic in 2014 and recently managed Berdych, his inputs are bound to suit modern day tennis as he is known to extensively interact with different players on the tour.

Cracking the Serbian Code

Roger Federer’s chances of adding an 18th Slam have been constantly thwarted by one man by the name of Novak Djokovic.

Although Federer has beaten Djokovic on numerous occasions during 2014 and 2015, Djokovic won all their encounters in the Grand Slam finals in these two years.

Ljubicic beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who likes playing from the baseline, in his Indian Wells conquest in 2010. As a coach, he could have tactics up his sleeve to help Federer emerge victorious over Djokovic in Grand Slams and in tournaments where the surfaces are slower and suit Federer’s attacking style less.

Sharpening the mental edge

It is quite hard to fathom the fact that a 17-time Grand Slam Champion and winner of 88 ATP tour titles can still get nervous in crucial junctures of a match. Federer has shown mental let down on more occasions than one – especially against Djokovic in the finals of the Wimbledon and the US Open this year.

Despite beating Djokovic quite convincingly in the Round Robin stage of the ATP World Tour Finals, Federer showed a lot of nerves in the finale against Djokovic. He eventually lost in straight sets and sat on the chair ruing yet another missed opportunity.

Ivan Ljubicic will have a mammoth task ahead of him as he helps Federer build on his mental strength so the Swiss does not squander opportunities on big occasions that could catapult him to more greatness.

Inject some creativity into the game

Federer is a virtuoso on the tennis court. He uses his Wilson wand to create a piece of art by painting the tramlines and weaves together awe inspiring moments. The Sneak Attack by Roger (SABR) took the tennis world by storm.

Federer’s serve and backhand in particular received a huge fillip from the new racquet with a larger frame. Ljubicic was himself known for his huge serves. Amongst all the top players Federer has the most variation on serve. Can Ljubicic help Federer get even more creative?

Ljubicic’s former coach Riccardo Piatti heaped praises on his ward. ” Ivan is a very quiet person and he thinks a lot . He never stops thinking and he lives goal-by-goal and he keeps giving himself goals to reach,” he said.

He is good-hearted and generous and he often takes care of others, because he remembers where he came from.” Fellow players like Mario Ancic and current players like Marin Cilcic have also claimed that Ljubicic has had a great impact on their careers and helped them improve on various aspects of their game.

As of now Federer’s choice of Ivan Ljubicic looks great on paper. It will be exciting to see how this new partnership will unravel over the next year. Will the partnership help Federer win the elusive 18th Grand Slam? Will it result in gold for Federer at the Rio Olympics in Men’s Singles? The questions might remain the same but it is the caliber of tennis that the sporting world at large is waiting for with bated breath.