Petra Martic appoints Francesca Schiavone as coach for clay season

Petra Martic has brought on Francesca Schiavone as her coach, according to Italy's *Corriere*.

The Italian newspaper said the pair would begin working together next week in Istanbul, followed by Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.

Martic reached a career-high No. 14 ranking in January 2020; she is currently No. 21, with a 4-6 to start the season, including a first-round defeat at the Australian Open. The 30-year-old Croatian had her best season in 2019, reaching the 2019 French Open quarterfinals. She has been to the second week at each of the Grand Slams.

Schiavone, winner of the 2010 French Open, reached a career-high No. 4 and retired in 2018. In 2019, she revealed she had successfully underwent chemotherapy to combat a malignant tumor. This will be her first stint as a touring coach.

Martic is the defending champion in Istanbul; the clay-court tournament was not played in 2020, but Martic won in 2019 to capture the first title of her career.