Roger And Tony Roche End Coaching Relationship

A

asitkin

New User
http://www.rogerfederer.com

Roger and Tony Roche have mutually decided to end their 2 1/2 year long part time coaching arrangement. "I thank Tony very much for his efforts over these last years, during which I appreciated the 12-15 weeks per season we would work together. I am also grateful for the sacrifice he made, traveling so far from his home in Australia and leaving his family."


Way...
 
C

catspaw

Rookie
Well, something's definitely not been right these last few months. Perhaps they've had a crucial disagreement about tactics, in which case nothing to do but split....
 
rfprse

rfprse

Professional
It's surprising that Federer made this decision middle of the season.
However, it's about time....rather, a little late.
I thought he should have made this move at least at the end of the last year. (when Cahill became available)
 
Z

Zaragoza

Banned
This proves that his recent losses were not meaningless like some fans claimed, those losses were important. He knows his game isn´t working, he is disappointed and he needs fresh air. I never expected that a loss to Volandri would be the last match of Roche as Federer´s coach.
 
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psamp14

psamp14

Hall of Fame
splitting with roche is not a bad move on federer's part...maybe he just wants a fresh start

i dont know who he will go to for a coach, since he did win 3 slams in 2004 without a coach
 
Jonnyf

Jonnyf

Hall of Fame
psamp14 said:
splitting with roche is not a bad move on federer's part...maybe he just wants a fresh start

i dont know who he will go to for a coach, since he did win 3 slams in 2004 without a coach
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IMO there's two specific coaches he should look to.
a) someone to help him further his volleys (like woodforde has been doing with djokovic) or
b) Another coach who specialised on clay and who can help him get at Nadal and hopefully for him get a FO
 
Eviscerator

Eviscerator

Banned
psamp14 said:
splitting with roche is not a bad move on federer's part...maybe he just wants a fresh start

i dont know who he will go to for a coach, since he did win 3 slams in 2004 without a coach
Click to expand...

It may or may not work out, only time will tell. Certainly Federer is talented enough to get by without a coach until he finds a replacement.
However the "fresh start" aspect is just a cliche because other pros who have wanted a fresh start while at #1 or the top of their games have had pretty poor results after parting ways with their coaches.
 
Mick

Mick

Legend
haha. here's Mats Wilander's opportunity-- he can help Federer will those big balls that he spoke about in the interview :D
 
A

asitkin

New User
Not so sure that it’s Roger’s decision. He is not looking for more coach time. They spent plenty recently without much of success. Seems Tony’s main recipe is hard work and dedication but probably modeling and socializing don’t left much time for something else. Serena comes to mind, she liked it too. Tony has seen a lot and doesn’t need to waste his time.
 
D

Deleted member 3771

Guest
so 4 slams pre-Roche, 6 slams with Roche, now lets see how many slams post-Roche.
 
A

AndrewD

Legend
Tony Roche has said that, as he was spending more weeks with Federer leading up to this French Open, he wouldn't be available to spend any more time with him during the year. That being the case (plus a few losses), it really isn't surprising that they've stopped working together.

I also think people overestimate what Roche has been doing for/with Federer. It hasn't been coaching in the way we usually see it but more along the lines of a supervisory role where he keeps on eye on what Fed is doing and making sure he isn't slipping into any bad habits. Problem with that is, while it hasn't caused Federer to fall backwards, it hasn't pushed him forward. Now, with new players coming through and older ones improving, he can't afford to stagnate.
 
Mick

Mick

Legend
roche is pretty old. I think it would be good for Federer to pick someone younger (like 50 or less)
 
S

slice bh compliment

G.O.A.T.
ACE of Hearts said:
Hire freaking Wilander if u have the balls Roger,LMAO.
Click to expand...

Hahha, yeah, I love Roger, but I also question whether he's got the Wilanders to make a phone call to, ahem, Wilander.

Cahill would be a great choice. In a way, Jason Stoltenberg and Boris Becker would be good for him, too.

EDIT: This just in, Roger Federer has placed a very cryptic ad seeking a coach on the Find-a-pro section on the USPTA website.
 
D

Deleted member 3771

Guest
I read a while back that this year Fed chose to use Roche for a few months to prepare especially for the French Open. Then Fed was gong to go to Wimbledon alone. SO fed was going to be alone most the season after the French anyway. I guess they decided that another arrangement would be more suitable for Fed. But it's a strange time to end the relationship just before the French Open. I wonder if he will coach Fed until the end of the French Open of if the relationship ends immediately.
 
F

FedFan_2007

Banned
slice bh compliment said:
Hahha, yeah, I love Roger, but I also question whether he's got the Wilanders to make a phone call to, ahem, Wilander.

Cahill would be a great choice. In a way, Jason Stoltenberg and Boris Becker would be good for him, too.

EDIT: This just in, Roger Federer has placed a very cryptic ad seeking a coach on the Find-a-pro section on the USPTA website.
Click to expand...

Do you have to be a USPTA member to find this ad?
 
illkhiboy

illkhiboy

Hall of Fame
How about AgassI? I am pretty sure he is not available, but Andre seems to have so much knowledge about the game. Read any random post-match interview with him, they are very informative and fun to read as he analyzes his own and his opponent's games.
 
D

Defcon

Hall of Fame
I would not be surprised if Rochie walked off because Fed was not following his instructions and he felt that he was not making an impact.

Its pretty obvious that for whatever reasons (lack of interest, confidence, slump) Federer is not playing aggressive tennis and is averse to taking risks on clay. Roche said specifically that he wanted Fed to try and come in much more, mix things up. It can't be easy for a great volleyer like him to see someone with so much talent like Fed not getting to net, and not using a different strategy on clay to beat Nadal and all the other dirtballers.
 
L

laurie

Guest
Defcon said:
I would not be surprised if Rochie walked off because Fed was not following his instructions and he felt that he was not making an impact.

Its pretty obvious that for whatever reasons (lack of interest, confidence, slump) Federer is not playing aggressive tennis and is averse to taking risks on clay. Roche said specifically that he wanted Fed to try and come in much more, mix things up. It can't be easy for a great volleyer like him to see someone with so much talent like Fed not getting to net, and not using a different strategy on clay to beat Nadal and all the other dirtballers.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying if you are right or not but it is fact that Lundgren went on record many times between 2001 and 2003 sating that Roger should go to net much more because he has great volleying skills and athleticism. They ended the partnership on disagreements on playing styles - well more to the point, Roger ended that partnership.
 
J

Jet Rink

Semi-Pro
Mick said:
haha. here's Mats Wilander's opportunity-- he can help Federer will those big balls that he spoke about in the interview :D
Click to expand...

Mats would be a perfect choice. And if he wouldn't do it I'm throwing Johnny Mac's name into the hat.

Jet
 
N

NoBadMojo

G.O.A.T.
key words here are 'part time coach'. Roche was a part time coach, and I dont think he was very fond of the travel.
so far he has been with a full time coach, no coach, and a part time coach, and i would say he's done pretty well in all three scenarios..i think maybe Fed would benefot more from a fitness coach if he doesnt have one than a regular coach...i could see him being more imposing physically. after all, the game is much more a fitness grind at the pro level than it was before
 
Fedace

Fedace

Banned
I think fed should hire Tony Nadal as his new coach. Fed is so psyched out right now, only Tony can help, not roach either.
 
Fedace

Fedace

Banned
bluetrain4 said:
Brad Gilbert. He'd leave Murray in a heartbeat for the right price to coach Fed.
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He cannot leave Murray, Brad is under contract with England lawn tennis association to coach Murray, brad is paid by ELTA not Murray. Brad will get sued real fast if he leaves Murray. Murray doesn't pay brad a penny, brad gets all his money from all england club.
 
Virtuous

Virtuous

Rookie
NoBadMojo said:
key words here are 'part time coach'. Roche was a part time coach, and I dont think he was very fond of the travel.
so far he has been with a full time coach, no coach, and a part time coach, and i would say he's done pretty well in all three scenarios..i think maybe Fed would benefot more from a fitness coach if he doesnt have one than a regular coach...i could see him being more imposing physically. after all, the game is much more a fitness grind at the pro level than it was before
Click to expand...
He has a fitness coach who's been with him since his teens, Pierre Paganini
 
N

NoBadMojo

G.O.A.T.
Virtuous said:
He has a fitness coach who's been with him since his teens, Pierre Paganini
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i see..thanks....maybe it's time for a racquet change then to something w. a little larger sweetspot..he can no longer afford to give up those free and cheap points from frame balls and miss hits. he's vulnerable on the clay and when it's windy....situations where you dont get the perfect bounce all the time
 
diredesire

diredesire

Adjunct Moderator
merged the two duplicate threads together, sorry if there is any confusion (near the beginning of the thread)
 
jackcrawford

jackcrawford

Professional
edmondsm said:
He should go coachless. He was doing fine without one.
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You can't make him into Pat Rafter like Roche tried to, he's not a natural volleyer, they're born, not made. Coachless would be best, an artist doesn't need a voice in his ear. Gilbert if his dissatisfaction with Murray continues to grow or Cahill would be ok as well.
 
P

PaulC

Professional
How'about Jim Currier's coach?

The clay court expert? Jose Higgea (or something like that, spelling escape me)
 
N

NoBadMojo

G.O.A.T.
One thing that I believe happens is that when a Fed loses some matches to players who arent Nadal, his opponents may be lesss intimidated when they draw him and think they have a better chance at beating him..i think the intimidation factor is pretty important and one of the reasons why fed wins those crucial points...he could be in for a long clay court season..i think the losses to Canas were a milestone which could change the attitiude of Feds opponents
 
galain

galain

Hall of Fame
NoBadMojo said:
One thing that I believe happens is that when a Fed loses some matches to players who arent Nadal, his opponents may be lesss intimidated when they draw him and think they have a better chance at beating him..i think the intimidation factor is pretty important and one of the reasons why fed wins those crucial points...he could be in for a long clay court season..i think the losses to Canas were a milestone which could change the attitiude of Feds opponents
Click to expand...

Coupled with this is a tendency I think, for Fed to not be the strongest believer in himself. I remember watching Haas beat him some time ago down here - great match - but looking at the two of them, Haas always looked more confident in himself. I've noticed this a few times with Fed - he seems a lot like a younger Lendl on occassion. Hitting a drive half volley winner happens a lot more easily when you "know" you can do it, versus thinking you can do it. It wouldn't surprise me if these recent losses throw Fed off a bit. Tie that in with opponents starting to see the gap between them closing and you have an interesting year ahead for the guy.

Having said that - I still want to see him continue to win everything in sight.
 
ubel

ubel

Professional
galain said:
Coupled with this is a tendency I think, for Fed to not be the strongest believer in himself. I remember watching Haas beat him some time ago down here - great match - but looking at the two of them, Haas always looked more confident in himself. I've noticed this a few times with Fed - he seems a lot like a younger Lendl on occassion. Hitting a drive half volley winner happens a lot more easily when you "know" you can do it, versus thinking you can do it. It wouldn't surprise me if these recent losses throw Fed off a bit. Tie that in with opponents starting to see the gap between them closing and you have an interesting year ahead for the guy.

Having said that - I still want to see him continue to win everything in sight.
Click to expand...
that's funny that you mention Lendl, because I remember reading the wikipedia page on him and seeing that he hired Roche to help him volley better in an effort to win Wimbledon. i think most of us know how that turned out.

in any case, i think this is going to end up being good for Federer, why not go back to what got you to the top? self-critique, hard work, and most importantly a reevaluation of how much he truly desires that clay court slam trophy could make the path he needs to take a bit more focused. sure, one or two weeks may not be enough time to shape his game into what it needs to be in order to ensure a victory at Roland Garros, but that doesn't mean he can't tweak his game here and there during Hamburg. maybe ironing out those few wrinkles that may have caused the last three early exits will be what he really needs for everything to click.
 
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