Nicolas Almagro discusses his decision to leave his long-time coach Jose Perlas because he wanted to be close to his niece and nephew. Perlas is based in Barcelona and Almagro wanted to return to his hometown of Murcia. The world No. 12 is now coached by Samuel Lopez and at times by former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“I needed to see them every day and I found it very hard to stay away,” Almagro told Mundo Deportivo. “I talked to Perlas, and it was a difficult decision, but I could almost see my family every day. Being around them makes me very tranquil."
Almagro will face Rafael Nadal in the Barcelona final on Sunday; Nadal has won all nine of their prior meetings.
Lopez said that Almagro’s reputation for being a hot head does not mean that he is unstable.
"I would not describe him as a crazy goat, but a player with a strong character,” Lopez said. “In Spain we have not had many [like that], but there are many in tennis history, people like McEnroe, Connors, Ivanisevic and Safin who also broke rackets.
"Everyone expresses things in their own way, but Nico continues to evolve in controlling his emotions. There are moments of tension, but you have to live with them. Slowly he is dominating these situations and so he becomes better player.”