« What surprises me the most about the French Tennis Federation? This is his level of involvement in the training of players. There is no other company that invests and does so much for them […] I don’t think the players here realize how lucky they are. » It was six months ago, in the columns of the JDD. Ivan Ljubicic experienced his first Roland-Garros stamped “ FFT » without losing his outspokenness during a heavily symbolic edition, that of the 40th anniversary of Yannick Noah’s victory. The last of a Frenchman in a Grand Slam, as everyone knows.
Appointed at the end of 2022 by President Gilles Moretton at the head of a two-year mission called “ Ambition 2024 » – to meet future Olympic and Paralympic deadlines – the Croatian will have thought carefully before committing. Ex-world number 3, national hero after winning eleven of the twelve points in the 2005 Davis Cup, president of the ATP players’ council, ” He loves » had no shortage of proposals, even admitting to having been approached by “ half a dozen players from the Top 30 » to start the 2023 season. Nothing could be more logical after having undergone a brilliant transformation as a coach, propelling the Canadian Milos Raonic into the Top 5, then accompanying the twilight genius of his great friend Roger Federer from 2016.
The call from the FFT came at the right time for the Monte-Carlo resident, French-speaking and open to new adventures without the jetlag constraints of the circuit. Since the start of the year, Ivan Ljubicic and his shaved head have been meeting numerous times at the bedside of French tennis in full transition. On one side, the last veterans, Monfils and Gasquet, who delight the public but can no longer, barring a miracle, go the distance in two-week formats. On the other, a young generation including Arthur Fils, 36th in the world despite his elimination at Bercy this week, represents the greatest promise. In the middle, some solid talents of varying ages (the current n°1 Ugo Humbert, Mannarino, Bonzi…), not necessarily equipped to bring back “ major ” at home. This is obviously where the problem lies: no Grand Slam since Noah among men, therefore, no Masters 1,000 since Tsonga in 2014.
Ljubicic’s clear observation, shared by a number of observers: “Historically, French players have had excellent results among juniors. But then it gets complicated. The fact is that it is not yet known whether the problem begins at ten or eighteen years old. I’m here to find the answer, without it being Armageddon. » His mission order indicates, he must “ strengthen the high-level sector for those aged fourteen and over, in good collaboration with the national technical director », namely Nicolas Escudé, supported by his two deputies, Paul-Henri Mathieu and Pauline Parmentier. In recent weeks, the role and influence of the prestigious contract worker are growing, causing internal teeth to cringe. Less than nine months before the Paris Games, the political demand for results has never been so strong, from Emmanuel Macron to his Minister of Sports, the former player and general director of the FFT Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.
” The French ? Nice game, nice technique but a little fragile…”
Even if it means displeasing, the boss of French tennis is convinced of the merits of his approach. He knew the native of Banja Luka when he managed the Lyon tournament, the Croatian’s first victory on the circuit in 2001. He has always kept in touch: “ The man was quite extraordinary, with an attitude that was very professional, humble, respectful and hardworking.he confided at the start of the year in Europe 1 Sport. He knows what “winning” is. On young players, he can bring us a lot. » Rightly or wrongly, French hopefuls are often considered spoiled children, which would explain their mental weakness at crucial moments. With Ljubicic, a cultural revolution is assured: at thirteen, the teenager had to flee his home in a Bosnia full of fire and blood. “ Entire families were disappearing, we didn’t know what happened to them “, he remembers. His family wanderings had led him to Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, before finding refuge in Croatia, his father’s homeland, from which he remained without news for many months during the war in former Yugoslavia.
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An excellent tennis player, Ivan landed a little later in a club in Moncalieri, near Turin, which offers scholarships to young Croatian athletes. “ The worst time of my life, alone at fourteen, without my parents, homeless for the first three monthshe told the English daily The Independent in 2006. I didn’t even speak Italian, I had almost never traveled. But ultimately, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. » In Piedmont, Ivan Ljubicic meets the man who will turn his life upside down: Riccardo Piatti, a humanist and atypical trainer who will guide him throughout his career before taking care of, in particular, Richard Gasquet. “ The French ? Nice game, nice technique but a little fragile in generalsays the Croatian. Even if there have been champions. How do you win matches? With something remarkable. It can be a blow, tactical sense, physicality… As coaches, we must discover where this talent lies. »
Between advice to those interested, overhaul of the junior calendar and the path of the best towards professionalism, creation of the national clay court pole in the south of France, Ivan will not lack challenges in his “ Ambition 2024 “. Among the most difficult, having one’s personality and ideas accepted, without taking too much shine, in a federation which rarely opens its doors to foreign technicians. “ I’m here to help win a Grand Slam and Olympic medals, that’s my mentality. I hope to be here for a long time. A Grand Slam eventually is not impossible. » Impossible is not French: we must have already given him the formula, even if it has worn out over decades of individual failures
2023-11-07 08:08:20
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