Ana Ivanovic is again in search of a new private coach. The former No. 1 told reporters in Birmingham that she wants a full-time coach, even though she has said in the past few months she was satisfied with the part-time coaching she has received from the adidas Player Development program, specifically from Darren Cahill. Cahill also works as an analyst for ESPN. Ivanovic does employ a full-time hitting partner, France’s Olivier Morel.
"It’s been a bit of a struggle and a little up and down—and that’s been happening for the last couple of years in my career," Ivanovic said. “I want something more stable. I know it’s not easy to find a good coach, but it’s something I should consider again…I have names of people I would like to talk to, but that’s hard to do during competition. Still, I’m thinking about it and talking to people about how to approach it. First I have to find a good one. Then, someone who will commit. And someone willing to travel. And someone with whom to get along, because you do spend a lot of time together."
Outside of the adidas coaches, including Sven Groenefeld, who coached Ivanovic to the 2008 Roland Garros title, the Serb has worked with five private coaches since 2006: Zoltan Kuharsky, David Taylor, Craig Kardon, Heinz Gunthardt and Antonio van Grichen, whom she parted ways with after the Australian Open. Ivanovic said its unlikely she’ll find someone prior to Wimbledon.
“For a coach to be able to help you, they need to get to know you well. They need to see what’s happening—that you are not in the mood to talk, or something like this. It is very hard to find the right person…I don’t want these ups and downs any more. I need to have more structure and more stability, and someone strong enough to go through with it."