Rising Star Dimitrov and Coach Split

Written by: Staff on 13th November 2011

Rising Star Dimitrov and Coach Split

Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov returns the ball to Canada's Milos Raonic during their quarter final match at the ATP Stockholm Open tennis tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, 21 October 2011. Raonic won 7-5 and 6-4. EPA/FREDRIK SANDBERG SWEDEN OUT |

The coaching relationship between the player who carries the burden of being widely perceived as the ‘next big thing’ and the experienced old pro who was guiding him wisely to the top has come to an end. The Patrick Mouratoglou Academy has reported Grigor Dimitrov and Peter McNamara have decided to part.

Dimitrov and German-based Australian McNamara were together for a year-and-a-half, and the input of the former top tenner at both singles and doubles had propelled the 19 year-old Bulgarian to a 300 place rise on the ATP World Tour rankings.

In August the former junior champion of both Wimbledon and the US Open reached a rankings high of 52nd place and he currently stands 19 spots lower. However the relationship between Dimitrov and 56 year-old McNamara did apparently sour in recent months.

Dimitrov’s father Dimitar has played a more visible advisory role and Grigor recently admitted: I needed him and called him for the last five tournaments; I sensed I couldn’t keep going on without him.”

Quarter final finishes at Bangkok and Stockholm suggest the liaison was working and Dimitrov Jr. added: “He knows my specific technique best; he is able to tell me what doesn’t work and how to fix it. Two quarter finals in three weeks with him are quite of a good result.”

Nevertheless only two weeks ago, in an interview for the Bulgarian Capital weekly, the Bulgarian declared he would not be replacing McNamara as his coach saying this would be “a too drastic of a measure.”

Dimitrov, previously coached by Paton Alvarez who also worked with world no.3 Andy Murray and Peter Lundgren, an ex mentor of world no.1’s Roger Federer, Marat Safina and Marcelo Rios among others, has been attached to the Mouratoglou Academy, based just outside Paris, for three years.

In a statement released by the Mouratoglou Academy, Dimitrov said: “I want to thank Peter for all his dedication, experience and excellence work that helped me reach my career high ranking”

McNamara, who had previously coached fellow Aussie Mark Philippoussis, said: “It was a great adventure going from Futures to Grand Slams with Grigor and it was an honor to coach him.”

Dimitrov will reportedly train in the close season at the Mouratoglou Academy and will take ‘the time of reflection before committing a new coach’.

“DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”