'Decided to part ways': Tennis stars in stunning coaching splits
Stan Wawrinka and Johanna Konta have both made the stunning decision to split with their coaches ahead of the French Open.
Wawrinka announced on Monday that he was parting ways with long-time coach Magnus Norman - the man who helped him win three grand slam titles.
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The 35-year-old Swiss posted a message on Instagram saying his eight-year alliance with the Swede was over.
“After eight great years together (Magnus Norman) and I have decided to part ways by mutual consent,” Wawrinka said.
“We have had an amazingly strong, enjoyable and hugely successful partnership.
“We reached the height of this sport together and I want to thank him for helping me win everything that I could ever dreamt of winning.”
While Wawrinka was always capable of strong results, he lived very much in the shadow of Roger Federer until he beat Rafa Nadal in the Australian Open final in 2014.
It was only the second time since 2005 that a player outside the then ‘big four’ of Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray had won a grand slam title.
Wawrinka proved that was no flash in the pan by beating Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final and won his third slam title at the 2016 US Open, also beating Djokovic.
Under Norman’s watchful eye Wawrinka broke into the world's top four, reaching number three in 2014.
“He's been a great coach, friend and mentor and will always be a dear friend,” Wawrinka said.
“I want to publicly thank him for all his hard work dedication and commitment in making me a better player over the years.
“Winning three grand slams has been a life-changing experience for me and I could not have done that without him.”
Wawrinka joins Konta in parting ways with coach
Wawrinka’s announcement came just days after British star Konta said she was splitting with coach Thomas Hogstedt.
The 29-year-old will head to the French Open without a coach after a three-week trial with Hogstedt didn’t work out.
“It wasn’t something that worked for me really or for either of us,” Konta said at the recent Italian Open.
“We didn’t feel that it was gonna be a good fit.”
The World No.13 had split with previous coach Dimitri Zavialoff during the shutdown of the tennis tours, but said that was not her decision.
“I don’t think I change coaches often,” the three-time grand slam semi-finalist said.
“I met with Thomas for three weeks. I didn’t hire him as a coach.”
The French Open starts on September 27.
with agencies
