Djokovic Uses Fibak To Analyze Lendl’s Use To Murray

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 3rd September 2013

Djokovic Uses Fibak To Analyze Lendl’s Use To Murray

epa03847446 Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return against Joao Sousa of Portugal during the 2013 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 01 September 2013. The US Open runs through Monday 09 September, a 15-day schedule for the first time EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

As reported in Tennis News last week, Wojtek Fibak has been co-opted onto the support team of world no.1 Novak Djokovic as a coaching consultant. And according to the 61 year-old Pole his job is to provide some insight into what Ivan Lendl has done to jump charge Andy Murray’s game.

Fibak, who once also gave tennis lessons to Pope John Paul II, mentored the young Lendl during his formative years. His influence took the 18 year-old Lendl from his birthplace in the Czech industrial centre of Ostrava to Connecticut, New Jersey and the pair are still close He. knows what makes the man tick and therefore should know some of the secrets that Lendl has taught Murray.

“Andy has Ivan as his coach and Novak’s people thought because I worked with Ivan and I created the Lendl machine, that obviously I know Ivan. They probably wanted a counterbalance to what Ivan is doing with Andy.”

Djokovic is reportedly smarting from losing both the French Open and Wimbledon finals and Fibak continued: “Novak was leading in all three sets at Wimbledon in the final but ending up losing the points that really mattered. That’s certainly Ivan’s influence. Now they took me to try to narrow that.”

There are many other things in Fibak’s life apart from tennis. He is an art collector and businessman. He insisted: “I didn’t just accept the role because Novak is world no.1,” he said. “Also because he is a very nice person and it is a challenge. He is very intelligent, articulate, eloquent.

“He is Serbian, I am Polish, but he speaks very high English, and we can speak in German or French too. He likes history, he is asking about Ivan, McEnroe, Connors, Borg, Nastase. We don’t speak like ‘It was a good match, he played good, I was good, too’.”

Fibak leaves much of the actual coaching to Marian Vajda. “I am not getting so involved in technical aspects because he is no. 1 in the world so he has practically no weaknesses,” he added. “My thing is mainly preparation, looking after the details and the tactical and mental side; to give him the confidence and motivation.”

“There are a lot of things we can learn from, but sometimes it is good to focus on the most important things, to go back to foundations. Gadgets work for five minutes, for one day, but they don’t work longer. When I say gadgets I mean all these extreme experimental methods, which we have plenty of guys running around and suggesting to him.”

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Atp, Fibak, French Open, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, John Mcenroe, Novak Djokovic, Sports, Tennis, Wimbledon