Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Fedrer needs a Mentor!


Losing one classic match is bad enough but to lose two in less than seven months was simply too much.
After his dreams of winning a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam title were ruined by Nadal in five sets on Sunday, the time has come for Federer to take action and he might start by seeking a full-time coach.

With the ability to conjure magical shots at will, the Swiss master is probably the most gifted player the sport has ever seen. Winning 13 Grand Slam titles in just over five years bears testimony to his talent.
But since Nadal has now beaten him in five of their seven Grand Slam final meetings, Federer needs to explore new avenues.
Whereas most top players have a small army of people to turn to when the going gets tough, Federer travels with a tiny support group led by girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec, whose many roles include media manager, business adviser and occasional hitting partner.
Since parting ways with Swede Peter Lundgren in December 2003, Federer has opted not to work with a full-time trainer.
He hired Tony Roche and Jose Higueras on a part-time basis, mainly to draw on their claycourt expertise, but those relationships fizzled out when Federer failed to capture the French Open trophy.
Federer now needs the guidance of a mentor who can not only push his game to a higher level but also help find and exploit weaknesses in world number one Nadal's game.
"He needs a coach," US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said. "He's never had to adjust to something because he's been so talented he could go out there and figure it out.
"All of sudden he's playing a guy he can't do it against. He's so stubborn."

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