A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER WITH THE COACHING CHANGES IN PRO TENNIS. FROM TRAINERS TO COACHES TO PHYSIOS , BERDYCH / VALLVERDU LATEST TEAM , TOMAS WANTED LENDL

Written by: Staff on 17th December 2014

A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER WITH THE COACHING CHANGES IN PRO TENNIS. FROM TRAINERS TO COACHES TO PHYSIOS , BERDYCH / VALLVERDU LATEST TEAM , TOMAS WANTED LENDL

epa04513147 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in action against Gael Monfils of France during their match of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) in Singapore, 03 December 2014. The IPTL, which features four teams made out of a hybrid mix of current and former men's and women's players, is on its second leg in Singapore, after starting in the Phillipines, and will continue in New Delhi and conclude in Dubai. EPA/WALLACE WOON |

Berdych Signs Vallverdu As Coach

After Tomas Berdych was informed first hand that he could not have Ivan Lendl as his new coach, the world no.7 opted for the next best thing. Following a strong recommendation from none other than Lendl himself, the Czech has appointed Dani Vallverdu to succeed Tomas Krupa.

Vallverdu was Andy Murray’s closest tennis confidante for five years and formed a strong allegiance with Lendl when they worked side by side in the Scot’s camp. The pair dovetailed superbly with the 28-year-old Venezuelan Vallverdu starting from scratch and earning Lendl’s 100% respect.

And Vallverdu was at Murray’s side when he won Olympic gold in 2012 as well as the Scot’s two Grand Slam titles; first the US Open and then Wimbledon in 2013.

However when Amelie Mauresmo succeeded Lendl in June, cracks in the Murray/Vallverdu friendship, forged at the Casal Sanchez Academy in Barcelona 12 years ago, began to appear. And when Lendl informed Berdych he was not prepared to return to top–flight coaching when they met in Prague a couple of months ago, the name of Vallverdu was put forward as the top alternative.

Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic hits a return to Dominic Thiem of Austria on the ninth day of the 2014 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 02 September 2014. The US Open runs through 08 September, a 15-day schedule. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

Vallverdu will join Croatian fitness trainer Azuz Simcich in 29 year-old Berdych’s coaching corner as the Czech begins 2015 determined to finally capture a Grand Slam title after seeing Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic break the Federer/Nadal/Djokovic/Murray monopoly of the major prizes this year.

In a statement posted on Berdych’s Facebook page he said: “Dear fans and friends… my new coach for next year will be Danny Vallverdu and Azuz Simcich … thank you to Tomas Krupa and David Vydra for great time and fantastic work.”

Clearly Berdych has yet to appreciate the nuances of working with Vallverdu, such as spelling his Christian name correctly, but he will soon come to appreciate the attention to detail and loyalty shown by the man who played Davis Cup for Venezuela but at best attained a world singles ranking of 727 in August, 2005.

Vallverdu was disillusioned after he was not even consulted by Murray in the build up to Mauresmo being announced as the former Wimbledon and US Open champion’s new coach on the day of weekend of the French Open finals.

The relationship nearly came to an end after Wimbledon but Vallverdu remained loyal to Murray and with Mauresmo staying home in Europe, he accompanied the Scot on the autumnal Asian swing where the one-time world no.2 ended a 14 months wait for a title in China at the Shenzen Open.

However after Murray concluded his competitive year with a disappointing showing at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London last month, both Vallverdu and fitness trainer Jez Green decided it was time to seek new employment. Green has subsequently been working with 17 year-old German Alexander Zverev.

Story via Bob Larson tennis news.

Topics: Amelie Mauresmo, Dani Vallverdu, Ivan Lendl, Tennis, Tennis Coaches, Tennis News, Tomas Berdych

Follow 10SBALLS.COM on:

Facebook:

Twitter:

10sBalls_com says:

December 17, 2014 at 8:40 am

A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER WITH THE COACHING CHANGES IN PRO #TENNIS. FROM TRAINERS TO COACHES TO PHYSIOS, @tomasberdych…http://t.co/JQhrAYGyBS
MarTennis says:

December 18, 2014 at 8:54 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER WITH THE COACHING CHANGES IN PRO #TENNIS. FROM TRAINERS TO COACHES TO PHYSIOS, @tomasberdych…htt…