Roger Federer is currently sitting on the sidelines, recovering from his knee surgery. Consequently, his coach and former top-10 player, Ivan Ljubičić, had some time off as well. To the delight of the fans, he used some of it to give an interview to TagesAnzeiger, talking about many things Roger.
Ivan Ljubičić retired in 2012, after a very good career that included a Davis Cup win in 2005 with Croatia and an ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells in 2010. Moreover, he also reached a career-high ranking of World No. 3 back in 2006.
“Privilege to work with Roger Federer”- Ivan Ljubičić
Since his retirement, Ivan has coached a few players. He simply could not stay away from tennis; it remains his greatest passion. Naturally, Roger Federer and Ivan hit it off very well once they started working together.
“Tennis runs through my veins, it‘s my first love. I am thankful for all the opportunities I got, thanks to tennis, but none of them was bigger than the privilege to work with Roger Federer.”
If you look closer, there are a lot of similarities between the two men. Both played attacking and aggressive tennis, and both are of similar age; Ivan is just over two years older than Federer!
Before anything else, though, I’ll give you the good news that Ivan delivered. He has stayed back in Switzerland, keeping an eye on Roger and his recuperation.
“Roger‘s rehab is going great and I hope to be back on the court with him soon.“
The duo started working together in 2016. Ironically, when Ivan came on board, Federer was recuperating from his then knee surgery. Once he was back on the court, Ivan’s influence was apparent. Roger’s service was somehow bettered, he started using more variance on his shots, particularly the backhand, and he started to end the points quite quickly.
All of this re-surged the Swiss superstar, and the titles followed. In 2017, Roger went back to winning Grand Slams, and even reclaimed the World No. 1 spot, albeit briefly. They are not even done yet. Just like Roger Federer, Ivan is hungry for a lot more in the coming years.
“Roger is my first, second and third priority, I‘m ready at his disposal 52 weeks a year and this will remain like that as long he intends to play.”
That is true commitment, given Ljubičić is the owner of two sports agencies as well. But Roger, and his pursuit of titles, remains his biggest priority.
Roger will be back soon enough, and we will spot Ivan in the player’s box once again. Let’s hope The Swiss maestro can come out firing on all cylinders again, just like in 2017.
Ivan Ljubicic provides positive updates on Roger Federer’s recovery
Roger Federer started to work with Ivan Ljubicic back in 2016, losing in the final in Brisbane to Milos Raonic and the semi-final of the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic. On February 3, the Swiss had to undergo arthroscopic left knee surgery, returning in Monte Carlo and playing only seven tournaments that year as he had to skip all the action after the semi-final loss to Milos Raonic at Wimbledon.
Ljubicic was there to wait, eager to improve Roger’s game and lead him in another assault on Major trophies. Backed by Severin Luthi, Roger and Ivan did a perfect job in 2017, with the Swiss lifting two Major titles (his first since 2012) and embracing a 54-5 run to become world no.
2 and the age of 36 and Rafael Nadal’s biggest rival. After seven trophies in 2017, Roger claimed four in the next two years, defending the crown in Melbourne in 2018 and staying in contention for the most notable titles despite being one of the oldest players left on the Tour.
With an improved backhand, Federer was capable of battling against any rival out there, becoming world no. 1 again in 2018 under the guidance of Ivan Ljubicic who knew how to improve the Swiss’ game and lead him towards the ATP throne again.
After another reliable performance in 2019 that had kept him in the top-3, Federer reached the semi-final at the Australian Open this January before announcing a knee surgery that will keep him away from the court until Halle in June, missing Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami and Roland Garros.
Just like in 2016, Ljubicic is patiently waiting for his player to return, traveling to Switzerland and spending time with Roger in his first days of recovery. The Croat has shared some positive vibes with Federer’s fans, saying the healing procedure is going fine at the moment, expecting to see Roger on the practice court as soon as possible.
Federer will stay in the top-10 once he makes a return in June, hoping to hit the winning course already in Halle and Wimbledon and fight for the big titles again despite turning 39 in August.
