Roger Federer is undoubtedly one of the best tennis players in the world. As an active player, his influence on the sport and on the fans off the court is unquantifiable. He retired in 2022 as one of the most decorated players of all time. Winning 20 major Grand Slams is no small feat, and his illustrious career spanned over two decades.
Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic recently opened up about Roger. He spoke extensively about the player, how he took to him as a coach, and how he conveyed his wish to retire from the game.
“It was a phone call. But it didn’t come out of the blue. It was some time that he’d had kind of doubts if he will ever come back. But it was silence,” he said.
“I felt his pain. I felt it was not an easy phone call for him, so I tried to give him comfort as much as I could. You know, it did not come as a surprise. We kind of all felt like it was coming sooner rather than later,” added the Croatian.
Under Ljubicic’s watchful eyes, Roger added 3 more titles in the twilight phase of his career. Since the former world number one retired, Ivan has taken on a new role at the French Tennis Federation.
Roger Federer and Ivan Ljubicic’s working relationship
Federer finally found his winning streak under the guidance of Ljubicic. Before the Croatian joined Federer’s team as a coach, the Swiss ace had made it to 3 Grand Slam finals but had lost all 3 to Novak Djokovic.
Roger’s resurgence was quickly noticed at the 2017 Australian Open. He went against his biggest rival, Rafael Nadal in the final and triumphed over him in 5 sets.
Federer carried this winning momentum into Wimbledon, which he won as well. His newfound Grand Slam success could only be credited to Ivan Ljubicic.
Stefan Edberg’s arrival in 2014, saw an improvement in some technical aspects of Federer’s style of play. But under Ljubicic, it became even more apparent. His serve and backhand improved a lot.
“I think I did help in terms of, I felt like his backhand had to be flatter rather than flick. But again, there were times when I would push him back, to return from (further) back, which he was not really comfortable doing,” said Ivan.
Ljubicic believes that had it not been for injuries, Roger would not have retired. “Well, I think that was the only way for him to stop, honestly. I don’t think there was any other way.”
“His ability would not go down. His fitness would maybe, with time, he would be slightly slower, slightly this, slightly that, but his genius would still keep him at the top,” believes Ivan (via Tennis Majors).
Ivan Ljubicic brought out the best in Federer. He became more aggressive with his play and deservedly won more Grand Slam titles in the process. Roger Federer’s legacy will live on as long as tennis is played.