That’s speculative but I think if he needs a shrink, then he should get one. Agassi is going to be his coach. He might understand him from that angle - if it exists and there’s similarities - but there’s no guarantee that this will make him a better player…
He has Lars Christensen and Kenneth Carlsen with him on tour. Why add more to that?
It was a good experience for Rune to have a 3 day training session with Agassi before Citi DC Washington tournament started, , but I feel Rune needs his coaches to travel with him on tour rather than being monitored from a distance by Agassi.
This is a consequence of the ATP's calendar bloat - Toronto and Cincy going 12 days means longer swings, more strain and less flexibility. Top players want quality over quantity. Shorter, efficient schedules win.
Presumably you're talking about the top guys, like those MM listed. How rusty are they going to be, really, after a few weeks? Plus, they generally have a couple of soft targets first couple of rounds of a Major. I'm sure it's tricky trying to balance proper amount of prep with enough rest.
I agree - and there's no plans of changing that. Lars or Kenneth are with him on tour.
Chuck went out early at Cinci and both he and Djoke went out early in USO to so called soft-targets. I know the argument is made about the OG, but my point is still valid.
Well still being in the top 10, he's limited w/ how many 250's he can play in one season.
Not an invalid point, at all. But it did matter more in an Olympic year, which you brought up. I think they're put off by the new format. Or some are. Forget Djokovic. He's an anomaly more than a baseline, at this point. He'll do what he does. Alcaraz says he needs the rest more than the play, due to niggles. Fair decision. As to the other top ones, I don't think the new format encourages committing to both. I don't know why most are opting to skip Toronto, but I'm guessing to compress the schedule. And reduce the exposure. Lower ranked players will play everything, because why not?
It's not fair to dump lesser events just because you don't care about them. Plenty of players depend on them for the money and points. You don't have to watch, remember. But there are more than 50 tennis players in the world. They don't all fit in one tournament.
It's a tough one. AA is great at being a consultant. He can break down someone's game in minutes and offer suggestions, tactics, short & long term goals, etc. I don't see him as a daily coach. All the people that I would recommend are already committed to other players. There's not many available resources. I would think Lars (who's already in place) would be a good choice, but maybe he can't hear Lars anymore. I don't know what's going on there. You're right, if it's mental, he shouldn't make any changes to his coaching team yet, but instead should hire a sports psyhc.
