Posted by Peter Bodo, TENNIS.com
The buzz since the start of the Estoril event has been all about Roger Federer making a positive move toward hiring a coach. He is working with former Spanish Davis Cupper Jose Higueras on a trial basis. To me, this is a more interesting issue because of what Higueras
won't do than because of what he will.
Some of you may remember that once Higueras hung it up as Jim Courier's coach, about 15 years ago, he more or less retired to his horse ranch in the California desert. Happily married with kids, Higueras decided he would not travel regularly with any protégé in the future, which is the same as saying he was unwilling to make the kind of emotional commitment a top player usually demands. Fair enough; it was his life after all.
In the ensuing years Higueras labored, usually on behalf of the USTA, with a number of players, including Michael Chang and Todd Martin. This was within his comfort zone. Players seeking his help traveled to Palm Springs, where Higueras put them through their paces and added to his reputation as a superb fitness coach. If you wanted to work like a dog and get into great shape, Higueras was your man.
Pete Sampras hired Higueras late in 2001, but realized halfway through 2002 that he needed something more than a guy who could whip him into shape. He needed someone who understood his (fast court) game, and who would travel with him and offer support and strategic advice on Sampras's best surfaces: grass and hard courts. When Sampras realized Higueras couldn't do that, he severed the relationship and soon rehired his former coach, Paul Annacone.
The intriguing reality here is that Roger Federer isn't in any apparent need of fitness training, and it's unlikely that he'd go to Palm Springs in the precious few weeks (roughly 10) that he dedicates to serious training. It's just as unlikely that Higueras the homebody would have a great time hanging around Dubai during Federer's training season -- I don't care how many indoor ski slopes, faux Irish pubs, or champagne-filled Jacuzzis are in the offer. Why leave one desert for another?
I think that tells you right off the bat that Higueras is on board for reasons other than his ability to run a guy until he sweeps the court with his tongue. He's also not in yoke in order to improve Federer's serve-and-volley.
So here's clue number two the reasoning behind this move: Higueras is Spanish, and in his heyday he was as good an example of a clay-court grinder as you could find. In fact, the reason he never dominated the clay-court circuit or won Roland Garros (he did win an Italian Open title and a handful of other top-drawer clay-court events) is because he was too much the grinder, too little the aggressive baseliner.
But it's unlikely that Federer is auditioning Higueras in order to improve his ability to grind. Roger doesn't do grind any more than Sampras did. But Federer may want to tap into Higueras's strategic and technical understanding of the clay-court game. After all, he's in a slump, and the portion of the year dominated by Federer's main rival, Rafael Nadal, is upon us
Roger wants help on clay and he wants it now, because he's embarking on a tough clay-court circuit and Nadal isn't going to disappear anytime soon.
Peter Bodo
