Jo Wilfried Tsonga May Be Looking For A Big Name Coach

Written by: Staff on 11th October 2012

Jo Wilfried Tsonga May Be Looking For A Big Name Coach

epa03424277 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in action against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their finals match at the China Open in Beijing, China, 07 October 2012. EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG |

Speculation is mounting in tennis circles that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the world no.6 who has played without a coach for the last 18 months, is in the market for a top name and the name of Larry Stefanki, available since the retirement of Andy Roddick, figures high on the list.

Tsonga, who earlier today improved his chances of again qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London by winning through to the Shanghai Rolex Masters quarterfinals, has told friends he is desperate to follow the example of Andy Murray and finally win a Grand Slam title.

The Scot Murray has benefited hugely from the influence of Ivan Lendl in his team and Tsonga is also mindful of the work Paul Annacone did rejuvenating Roger Federer sufficiently to win this year’s Wimbledon title.

Now the 27 year-old from Le Mans, a successive semi-finalist at Wimbledon and back in 2008 the Australian Open finalist, is prepared to pay in excess of $750,000 a year to find the right coach who has experienced great success and relate his own experiences.

Patrice Dominguez, France’s former director of tennis, maintained: “If it’s a stranger, obviously we think Larry Stefanki. He has worked with three world no.1’s in Marcelo Rios, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andy Roddick, so he has the experience and right credentials. Plus the American has been free for a month since Roddick retired.”

Perhaps the most obvious candidate, given the close relationship between the two men, is former French Open winner and successful Davis Cup captain Yannick Noah. However Tsonga’s agent Morgan Menahem maintained with regret that the demands of Noah’s musical career ruled out any possibility.

Tsonga has sought the advice of Darren Cahill who is available to all adidas players but the Australian who coached both Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi is also unavailable. He has turned down approaches from both Roger Federer and Murray, saying he is happier to remain a commentator for ESPN and work as part of the adidas Development Program.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Andy Roddick, Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, British tennis news, French tennis news, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Larry Stefanki, Scottish tennis news, Shanghai Rolex Masters, Sports, Tennis News