Горан Иванишевич и Магнус Норман откровенно о теннисе, тренерстве и будущем игры

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I will talk to him when I see him. I better not say what I think about him. I just say the player who is unfit mentally and physically like he is at the moment, you don't play tennis then. Let the coach be the coach and you are the parent. In the end, one thing is the same. If you don't hit the ball, the other guy is going to hit the ball. Who has more guts is going to win the match. Dan told me, even if you think it's going to hurt me, I want you to say whatever you feel is going to make me a better tennis player. You are there alone. When you are 2% ready, how you can play? Behind every great player, there's a coach translating belief into results. But what does that relationship really look like? That's perfect. Really good with the left. What is your coaching strategy? How do you handle the pressure and is this the right way to become a good professional? first of all you need to to know who you have in front of you so i think that's number one i think i'm a very good listener i don't say that i know everything best so i listen a lot to to you and then i think i'm a quite good motivator when it comes to self-belief so trust confidence those kind of things then i work hard also i make up a plan with my player i want to go from from here to here and and then we work hard As a former player, was it difficult to make this shift from a player mentality to a coaching mentality? If you want to be a good coach, it's no ego. It's not about you, it's about the player. It doesn't matter what I was a good player and what I did before, you need to bear it deep down and if you're not able to do that, you cannot be a coach. It helped me that I was a player so I can rely on some things that I did and I tried some things on myself first and I was working more or less. It was a different time. I came in 2013, it's already starting to change a lot. The tennis and you have to adapt on the things and slowly, slowly, I have to say, the honor to coach unbelievable players. For me, the switch was not a problem. What piece of advice would you give to parents of younger players or kids? Find a coach for your kid that you trust, and then take a step back and let the coach do the work. He or she knows a lot about fundamental things working with kids. But then it's also about chemistry, of course. But give it a little bit more time, let the coach be the coach, and you are the parent. High-performance coaching is often defined by intensity, focus, discipline, results. But in UMAG... That pressure exists in a setting that feels surprisingly relaxed. Because here, the competition shares space with the sea, the sun, and a festival of energy all around. This tournament is a unique mixture of a lot of different things. Obviously tennis is in the center of everyone's attention that's been coming to this event for 35 years. But you have a lot of side events and a lot of things Zuma has to offer that maybe some other tournaments don't. You have a very chilled and relaxed atmosphere that I hope you also enjoyed in the last couple of days. You have a seaside that gives players a feeling that they're in a holiday and they're still... still competing. During the event, we have a lot of side events, a lot of good music, a lot of world-famous DJs. So I think this whole mixture is something that makes this place special for players as well. Could you tell us why Umak Tournament is different to others on the ATP calendar? It's, look, you have a C there, it's a match that starts later in the afternoon, gives the players to relax more. It's more like a... You have parties for everybody, you have great hotels, you have great food, tournaments take care of the players. It's really, you have a transportation for 24 hours. Everything is for the players, so they can feel really like at home. And we have to say we have unbelievable matches here, unbelievable stories here, great players. three years ago the final that will never happen ever in the history of tennis tennis isn't just a sport it's a reflection of time the game has changed but the hunger to win stays the same i think tennis in my time and tennis now is completely completely different everything is different so what exactly is different everything Completely everything, you know, the way they practice, the way they eat, the way everything is around, they make much more money. Tennis is faster, rackets are different, clothes are different, everything is more demanding. But in the end, one thing is the same. If you don't hit the ball, the other guy is going to hit the ball. Who has more guts is going to win the match. That's why we have a ranking and that's why some guys are never going to be number one or number five or number ten and some guys are up there. Marat Safin once said that during your time you had kind of a rock and roll lifestyle on tier. You were more relaxed, not as professional maybe as players nowadays. Things always evolve. I think when we played in the 2000s, the players that grew up maybe playing in the 70s and 80s. And I think now the current players are more professional maybe than we were. Everything is evolving. I think Marat was an amazing character. He had this sort of vibe around himself. You played your last match when you were 32. Back then, it was normal, like average age to retire. Why do you think they have been playing longer? They take better care of the body. Prevention, they're traveling with the fitness, they do more things and the age is becoming like they play unbelievable. If you see Novak with 38, he's playing unbelievable. They played the best tennis with 35, 36. And before we were falling apart with the 31, 32 was like, oh, old, you should retire. Maybe if I would take care of my body, I don't say I would have not an issue with my shoulder or something, but for sure I could play another two, three years. It's this age is going and they play really good. They play really good and there's so many things. to prevent the injuries and to give them a couple more years longer career. When you coach greatness, you have to rise to the moment and sometimes just stay out of the way. You called Novak a genius. What makes him so unique? Everything. I mean, he is for sure the best tennis player in the history of the sport and he is the... I don't know which place you want to put him, but... top five sportsmen all time. For me, when I look at it, we have the same mentality, same language, and for me it was easier to kind of go into his mind, but you cannot go too much into the mind of genius because you get lost. We will see you practice with Stan, but how are you on the court with him? talking a lot or you want him to learn from all mistakes it's also one philosophy that that that we develop over the 13 years you know to stan is using this hashtag trust the process in his instagram post and it's something that we that we focus on a lot not about lifting the trophy not about winning not about ranking points etc etc we focus on how he can become a better tennis player and that's also something that i want to to throw out for kids and parents like don't focus too much about ranking results focus more about the process how to become better always always showing up and giving 100% this is more important for me in elite sport honesty isn't just helpful it's essential and over time it becomes something deeper after all these times together the highs and lows, is it more than just a professional between you and Stent? Could you call it a friendship? Absolutely. It's 13 years now together. Like you say, there are so many emotions, so many wins, so many losses. We have both been going through difficult times in the private life. Sometimes we have to skip practice because one of us is not feeling great. Practicing, we take a coffee together and we laugh and we cry together. So there are so many emotions throughout this 13 years. So for sure, it's more than just me being his tennis coach. How do you tell a player who is your friend something he might not want to hear? Oh, this is one of the tough parts. When we grow so close together, I think this has definitely become harder and harder. And sometimes it's tough to say. things if if your friend is not behaving well or if you know 13 years ago he told me in our first meeting he told me magnus i wanted to be 100 honest with me even if you think it's going to hurt me i want you to to say whatever whatever you feel is going to make me a better tennis player if it's on the court if it's off the court and this is something that i'm if i have something to tell him which i believe or this this will be this will maybe hurt him I come back to this first conversation that we had in Osan. Stan, you remember the first conversation we had? You told me that I want you to be 100% honest with me and now I need to tell you one thing that I feel is hurting your tennis. So I always come back to this conversation that we have and it's very honest and he's been very respectful with this. If I have an opinion, he will listen. 100%. Turn on the forehand in the top. Good. You learn from your player, he learns from you, it's mutual learning. Then it's also not good if you do everything what he wants or he does everything what I want. It's a combination of talking. You need to ask him, you need to have good conversation, good relationship. It's like a relationship. And tennis is an individual sport and if you're not ready to compete and to fight on the court, you cannot be on the court. with these guys how you're going to win it's impossible nobody no replacement nobody can substitute you like in the football you are there alone when you are mentally hundred percent when you physically it's it's you can go crazy on the court sometimes and when you're not swinging two percent ready how you can play and the calls you gave on Stefanos Tsitsipas were kind of harsh what made you criticize him like that I think press made it more harsh than it is. I don't think I said something spectacularly bad. I didn't say that he's a bad player. I didn't say he's ugly. I didn't say that he cannot play tennis. I didn't say he will never win a tournament again. I said that he's an unbelievable player. I said he will be top ten. He played two years ago. He played the final of Grand Slam. I just said that a player who is unfit. mentally and physically like he is at the moment, you don't play tennis then. It's better to be fair to yourself, to everybody else and just don't play. Because you cannot come on the court physically, mentally unfit and thinking you're gonna win the matches, you need to practice. and then you need to win the matches and especially in Wimbledon that is not easy and he has problem with the back he needs to solve that problem and changing the racket three days before the Halle tournament trying the new racket these I mean so many things I just said that he's unfit faster he goes he will go back to where he belongs top 10 even better because he's too good player True connection in sport doesn't just come from titles or tactics. It comes from shared moments, honesty and a sense of belonging. Sometimes those feelings are sparked not just by people, but by places. For both Magnus and Goran, UMAG isn't just another stop on the tour. It holds something personal. Has being here brought you some memories from those days and maybe some flashbacks? Yeah, many. I mean, I've been here playing and coaching. It's been amazing to see the tournament grow back in the days. I remember that I played with Slavko Rasperger as a tournament director back then. and the hotel stadium had no air condition and you know but it was still this good vibe the parties were still there and I remember playing Jeff Tarango in the finals so yeah amazing memories from this tournament really and it's been amazing to see this whole tournament grow to where it is at the moment. How does it feel to have the center court named after you? It's a very nice feeling you know when they say you know go run. Goran Imanešević court, you know, it's a privilege, it's honor. Even after reaching the peak, the journey doesn't stop. Because passion doesn't retire. You was coaching Robin Söderling. You've coached Stan Bavrinkov for over 10 years. After they started to work with you, they actually could unlock their potential. How did you do that? When I hear Stan talk about our relationship, Stan is mentioning that I... that i helped him believe in himself before it was like he was doubting a little bit he was still playing good matches but all of a sudden he he started to not only play good matches but he started to win those big matches i think that's the consequence of hard work a lot of a lot of talking like this and and small adjustments maybe to the game if we talk about stan i think one of the things we started to work on in the beginning was to to try to not always go for the tough shots, for the lines. But he likes it. He loves it, he loves it, he loves it. But he still has and he also had a very great physique. He was fast on the court and he was very strong physically. So I told him, you need to use this on court. You don't always have to go for winners. Let your opponent make mistakes. and play long rallies. Use your physical abilities and don't go always for the lines. Play with a little bit more margins. So small adjustments to the game, making him believe that he can also not only play close matches, but also win. After you was working with Novak, with a player who plays on such a high level, has it become more difficult to coach others? I mean, Novak won everything we won. I don't know, nine. Grand Slams together. He broke all the records. I witnessed unbelievable things. I've been with the best tennis player in the history. But I like to work. I like to do this job. And for me, it's... If I'm going to think, oh, I was working with Novak now, how can I work with somebody else? Then I will never. work in tennis anymore, then I should maybe switch the sport. But I don't think like that. My period with Novak, beautiful five years. I'm never going to forget. We stayed friends. We're going to always be friends. And that's finished now. You know, it's present time and I like to be on the tennis court. I think I still have something to give to the tennis and to teach somebody if they want to listen and cooperate. The next wave of tennis is already here. Talented, grounded and fearless. What makes Carlos Alcaraz and Yannick Sinner so good? They are two completely different players and I think they have extremely normal families. What do you mean by that? In tennis family I never saw more crazier. families, everybody interrupting and it's not easy for the players. These two people, they were unbelievable. Sinner father didn't even come to watch Roland Garros because he was working. Alcaraz's mother and father, they are two nicest people I ever met in my life. And they are so nice. You can see Alcaraz is playing. He's like a little kid in the park and he's enjoying, he's laughing. It's beautiful to watch. Yannick is more like Novak. He's upgraded Novak and they play the similar. You know, when Sinner grabs you, you are done. It's like Alcaraz plays with you, you know, and then he can go out and then comes back. But their environment is normal. Tennis is a process. You never know when good things are going to happen. And that's why, in my opinion, these two guys, they're going to be one and two for next good 10 years, maybe 15. I don't know who is going to be one, who is going to be two, who is going to be more Grand Slams. Very reformed. No, no, it's not too far, actually. 1999, here you are, look. Who did you play in the final, you said? I played Jeff Taranga in the finals. Jeff Taranga, I remember him. Was it a tough match? Yes, it was. Always tough match against him. He was a very fierce competitor. So, it was a tough one. I think it was two sets though, if I remember well, but a tough one. And here is a picture, look. Not too far from you, actually. Stan Wawrinka, 2006. It was a good tournament. We were not working together. It shows how many years Stan has been on the top. That he can still have this motivation to always go out and... Okay, playing tennis is one thing, the practice is one thing to play, but all the preparation before, all the getting ready for the practice, you know how tough it is. And that he can still find his motivation at 40 years old, I get so inspired by this. Besides Carlos Alcaraz and Yannick Sinner, people are talking about young generation, mentioning Fonseca. What do you think about his game, or maybe there are some other players here? Yeah, there are a few other players. Fonseca has already, in my opinion, established himself on the tour. He's going to be the one to watch the next 20 years. I think he can win the Grand Slam tournament and he's very important for tennis because... because of the Brazilian South American crowd that's following him throughout the whole ATP tour. You saw when he played in Miami and all of a sudden they had to switch his court and all the people went to his court like it was like playing in Brazil. So he's going to be super important for tennis. Even for the best athletes and coaches, decompressing after big matches is essential. And UMAG offers the perfect platform for that. A place where competition and calm... exist side by side. Because sometimes what happens off the court is just as memorable as the battles on it.