‘It may be easier for the French to pull off a surprse at the Olympics than at the French Open’ – Technologist

Former world number three and Roger Federer’s coach from 2016 to 2022, Ivan Ljubicic has been working with the French Tennis Federation (FFT) since 2022. The Croatian athlete, who is the organization’s director of Ambition 2024, aims to “change results” for the French, who have been trying for a Grand Slam winner since 1983 for the men (Yannick Noah at the French Open) and 2013 for the women (Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon). The Paris Olympic Games, to be held on Porte d’Auteuil’s clay courts, are also on the radar.

How would you assess your start with the FFT?

I’ve realized that there’s a lot of quality in the coaches and players. There’s no lack of ambition, but I think the players’ mentality lacks sufficient individualism. At the highest level, they have to build their team by being completely focused on their own needs. In France, there’s a desire to form groups and share collective experiences, which is good, but only up to a certain level. The players have to take responsibility. Gabriel Debru, for example, has done this by joining a facility abroad [the academy run by the Italian Riccardo Piatti], as has Arthur Fils, who left the federation fold to be coached by Sébastien Grosjean and Sergi Bruguera [winner of the French Open in 1993 and 1994].

How do you explain the slump in French tennis?

Winning Grand Slams is not a question of nationality. The Swiss federation, for example, has done a good job, but that’s not the reason Roger Federer has won so much. Even at the end of his career, Federer was always seeking to improve, to learn new things and include them in his tennis. If you don’t, the others will catch up. I learned a lot from him, especially about implementing effective training and managing energy.

The role of the FFT is to provide facilities and expertise and to train players. Everyone will answer “yes” if you ask them if they want to win major titles, but what counts are the actions put in place. Potential alone isn’t enough, but I’m convinced that we have players capable of winning Grand Slams in the future.

What’s your role in supporting them?

I’m there for everyone if ever they ever need advice, or to share my experience. Players are often in tournaments, and that’s good for gaining experience, but it’s also important to set aside more time for training blocks. This is necessary for physical, technical and strategic progress. I talked about this with Arthur Cazaux, who followed my advice and had a great start to the year. That’s my role: to provide an outside perspective and a bit of distance.

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