Sampras’ ex-coach for Federer
Roger Federer is working with Coach Paul Annacone on a trial basis, with his ranking on the decline.
Annacone is the former coach of Pete Sampras. He is now the head coach of men’s tennis for Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association and he has also coached Tim Henman and Marat Safin.
Federer said on his website, “I’ve been looking to add someone to my team, and I’ve decided to spend some days with Paul Annacone. As Paul winds down his responsibilities working for the Lawn Tennis Association, we will explore our relationship through this test period. Paul will work alongside my existing team, and I am excited to learn from his experiences.”
In the ATP rankings, in the past two months Federer has slipped to No. 3, the first time since November 2003 he has been that low. He is behind No. 2 Novak Djokovic and No. 1 Rafael Nadal.
Federer has gone without a coach for extended stretches, although he has worked with coaches Tony Roche, Darren Cahill and Jose Higueras.
Beginning Aug. 9 in Toronto, he is scheduled to play his first tournament since Wimbledon. Before heading to the U.S. Open, Federer plans to play in Cincinnati the following week, and he may be accompanied by Annacone.
Federer’s agent, Tony Godsick, said, “They will take the necessary time to see if the relationship can work. I would assume that Paul, if he can work it in with his remaining responsibilities and schedule with the LTA, will join Roger for some of his upcoming summer hard court events in North America.”
In January, Federer’s most recent title came at the Australian Open. It was his 16th Grand Slam championship. When he lost in the quarterfinals at the French Open, his record streak of reaching the semifinals at 23 consecutive major tournaments ended.
Following seven consecutive appearances in the final, at Wimbledon, Federer also lost in the quarterfinals.
Earlier this year, Federer topped the rankings but after the French Open, he was overtaken by Nadal. He was one week shy of tying Sampras’ career record of 286 total weeks at No. 1.
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