"It's as if Real Madrid haven't won for a long time" - Roger Federer's former coach explains decision to join French Tennis Federation
Roger Federer's former coach, Ivan Ljubicic, has explained why he recently accepted a position at the French Tennis Federation (Fédération française de Tennis or FFT).
The Croat, who has been hired to help develop French Tennis in the coming years, believes French players not winning titles is akin to legendary football club Real Madrid going trophyless for a long time.
The former World No. 3 has been appointed the director of the 'Ambition 2024' program, where he will be responsible for supervising and improving the quality of the over-14 national players. He will assume his post in January next year and will fully devote his time and energy to his new role as his services are no longer required by the now-retired Federer.
Asked why he chose to work with French tennis, the 43-year-old explained how he is driven by the idea of helping legendary teams and players regain their lost glory; he revealed that he also started coaching Federer for the same reason.
"It's as if Real Madrid haven't won anything for a long time. In a way, that's also how I started with Roger (Federer), who hadn't won Grand Slam titles for four years. It's a bit the same feeling that drives me. There is enormous potential in your country, with such a large number of young people who play tennis well," Ljubicic said in a conversation with L'Equipe.
France has a rich history in tennis, boasting 13 Grand Slam champions over the years. However, they have failed to deliver lately, with only three players (Mary Pierce, Marion Bartoli, and Amelie Mauresmo) managing to win a Major in the 21st century.
The three-time Grand Slam-winning coach highlighted that he is aware that there are deep-lying issues in French tennis. Although Ljubicic admitted to not knowing the exact nature of the issues, he promised to find a solution to them at the earliest.
"My son, who is 14, plays tournaments on the Côte d'Azur, and I see a little of all that. And when I see the boys' world rankings for the French, I just can't believe it. There is something wrong, which is not normal. I have no idea why, and it will be my job to dig deep to analyze and develop some ideas as quickly as possible," the Croat added.
"Roger Federer had literally just stopped, I didn't know what to say" - Ivan Ljubicic elaborates on how he was approached by the FFT
![Ivan Ljubicic [right] watches Roger Federer train at the 2019 ATP Finals.](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/12/ce2d0-16715441730163-1920.jpg?w=500)
During the interview, Ivan Ljubicic revealed how the French Tennis Federation (FFT) approached him for the job during this year's Laver Cup, which was also where Roger Federer's career came to an end.
The Croat revealed that he was approached by Gilles Moretton (president of the FFT) during the tournament and that the two soon discovered they were quite similar in many aspects.
"It really started by talking with Gilles. We met in London at the end of September for the Laver Cup . We had known each other for a long time. Since the Lyon tournament (of which he was the director) , where I won my first title in 2001, and one of the last in 2009. We had a good time. Sometimes it “clicks” with certain people. We have a lot of similarities, especially in how he approaches the world of tennis," Ljubicic explained.
Ljubicic then revealed that Moretton directly asked him about his future plans given that he would no longer need to coach Federer. He then mentioned how the two took things further with a series of talks in France.
"In London, therefore, we talked about tennis in general, the WTA, the ATP, the ITF. And he asked me: ''What are your plans now?'' Roger (Federer) had literally just stopped (smiles), I didn't know what to say too. He said: ''Ah, OK, let's talk about all that again, I think we can do things together.'' We saw each other again in Bercy, then last week in Paris. And so, it happened quickly," he added.