Former Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki coach Sven Groeneveld joins Botic van de Zandschulp's team
Dutch tennis professional Botic van de Zandschulp will link up with experienced top coach Sven Groeneveld ahead of the Masters 1000 Italian Open in Rome.
Sven Groeneveld, who also professionally played the sport in the 1990s, said that he is joining van de Zandschulp's team after he personally called him. Announcing the collaboration on Twitter, Groeneveld wrote that he believes in van de Zandschulp's potential and wants to help him maximize his talents and realize his dreams.
"Dat Botic van de Zandschulp mij persoonlijk belde om te vragen of ik hem wilde gaan begeleiden in deze fase van zijn carrière voelt als een eer. Ik geloof in de groei mogelijkheden van Botic. Ik zie het als een spannende uitdaging om Botic te ondersteunen in het maximaliseren… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
"It feels like an honor that Botic van de Zandschulp personally called me to ask if I wanted to guide him in this phase of his career. I believe in Botic's growth potential. I see it as an exciting challenge to support Botic in maximizing his talents and realizing his goals and dreams. I look forward to a successful collaboration," his tweet read.
The 57-year-old Dutch mentor is a well-known figure in the tennis world. He has earned his coach credentials while working with greats such as Roger Federer, Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Michael Stich, Tommy Haas and Maria Sharapova. His impressive resume also includes guiding women's World No. 27 and former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu from 2021 to 2022.
Botic van de Zandschulp also spoke about this new partnership in an interview with the Dutch publication De Telegraaf. The World No. 29 hopes that Groeneveld's knowledge will help boost his support team's quality and guide him to his first title on the ATP tour.
“With Sven’s knowledge and skills on board, I think my support team will receive a serious quality boost,” van de Zandschulp said.
Botic van de Zandschulp looks for his first ATP title
The Netherlands' best tennis player is still on the hunt for his first title on the ATP Tour and will look to end the drought in 2023. He came close to doing just that at the BMW Open in April, reaching the final of the event for a second consecutive year.
However, just like in 2022, Denmark's Holger Rune stopped Van de Zandschulp from getting his hands on the coveted trophy. Rune defeated the Dutchman in three sets after he failed to serve out the match three times in the final set.
Elsewhere on the 2023 tour, van de Zandschulp hasn't had much success. His only other notable result was a semifinal loss to France's Benjamin Bonzi at the Maharashtra Open in Pune. He was also a quarterfinalist at the Dubai Tennis Championships, losing to Andrey Rublev.