Dubai: Former World number one and the Obi UAE Royals marquee player Roger Federer is relishing his association with new coach Ivan Ljubicic as he attempts to add to his Grand Slam total.
Federer made a short pit-stop in Dubai before leaving for New Delhi to join his Obi UAE Royals team-mates midway through the third leg of the ongoing International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
The second edition of IPTL, which will run till December 20, features five franchise teams – the Philippine Mavericks, Singapore Slammers, Indian Aces, Japan Warriors and UAE Royals – and brings together current tennis champions and upcoming talent to compete against each other in the respective teams’ home countries.
Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam champion, headlines the Obi UAE Royals team along with Goran Ivanisevic, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych, Daniel Nestor, Ana Ivanovic and Kristina Mladenovic. The 34-year-old Swiss was hoping his presence in the squad would resurrect his team’s fortunes for the next three rounds in India, Dubai and Singapore.
Last week, Federer parted ways after working for two years with his childhood idol Stefan Edberg, who will be replaced by former world No. 3 Ljubicic. Federer commenced his partnership with Edberg in 2014, and since then has won 11 titles but failed to add to his record 17 Grand Slams.
“I have been fortunate to have some of the best coaches in my career as a tennis player. Most of these coaches have been players from a different generation, unlike Ivan [Ljubicic] who has played during my time. So he has the experience from playing tournaments and he wants to help me to win and become an even better player,” Federer told media on Friday.
The arrival of Ljubicic will not alter much within Team Federer, as Severin Luthi – with whom he has worked since 2008 – will continue as his main coach. In 2015, Federer strung together arguably his best season since his dominance from 2004 to 2007. During the course of 2015, the Swiss star won six titles, including the Western and Southern Open, the Cincinnati Masters and the finals of the Wimbledon and US Open – where he was denied on both occasions by a rampant Novak Djokovic.
“Novak has erased all his weaknesses. He plays with super focus in all his tournaments and he is truly on a roll. It is difficult to keep this focus for a very long time. No doubt, that he will be amazingingly good next year too. While he does everything to keep his position, the others too will be preparing to find ways on how to bring him down,” Federer said.
“Over the years I’ve had an amazing team around me, and this team includes everyone from the coach, the physio to the family. I wanted to have someone who would understand my world and my life. Ivan and I have been friends over several years now and I found that he would be the best for me at this stage of my career,” he added.
After the India leg, the IPTL will travel to Dubai for the penultimate round to be held at the Dubai Tennis Stadium in Al Garhoud from December 14-16.
