Rasheed Leaves Tennis For Australian Football

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 19th September 2013

Rasheed Leaves Tennis For Australian Football |

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Left) Roger Rasheed (Right)

After suffering a one-two blow by losing Gael Monfils followed by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as clients over the past few seasons, Australian tennis coach Roger Rasheed has – temporarily it is presumed – retreated to his first sporting love of Australian Rules football. To that end, the one-time mentor of the young Lleyton Hewitt has been giving his trademark motivational advice to his beloved hometown Port Adelaide team.

The squad has apparently been lapping up Rasheed’s pearls of wisdom, many of which he used to tweet. The coach and the team go back a long way, with former stadium announcer Rasheed serving as an ambassador for the team in a relationship which began more than a decade and a half ago.

Rasheed told Australian media that he also learns from being involved in another sporting mix. “I just love being around elite sport; it’s also something that helps me in my coaching,” said the occasional sounding board for the club captain. “I’m just someone else for him. A mentor, maybe, or just someone he can come to from the outside.”

Rasheed has long been involved in Aussie Rules, playing as a junior and competing in a minor league after his own brief tennis playing career ended. “This is the closest I can get to it,” he said of his other sporting love. “For me, it’s a privilege to work with them as well.”

Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Gael Monfils, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Roger Rasheed, Sports, Tennis