French Open - Wilander to Federer: Tap me for RG

Eurosport - Sat, 06 Sep 22:09:00 2008

Three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander says he would be the ideal candidate to help Roger Federer win Roland Garros.

TENNIS 2008 Roland Garros Roger Federer - 0

"I do think I would be a very good person [to coach Roger] and in many ways I think I would be the perfect person for that," Wilander told eurosport.yahoo.com.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion recently split with world number 25 Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Wilander hopes to continue working with Mathieu and the players that make up part of Team Lagardère, the training group that provides coaches for several top-ranked French players including Mathieu, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils.

"We left on good terms," the 44-year-old Swede said. "I'm planning on having meetings with Lagardère because I've heard that the coaches really like me and they would like for me to somehow stay."

Wilander said that Mathieu requested the split because of time constraints that prevented the pair from working together on a more full-time basis.

"I think he feels that he's gained something from me," Wilander said.

"But he also feels it's a bit of a chopped-up situation where I am mainly travelling with him on Tour and then he comes back home to Paris and doesn't have a chance to work with me on things that we directly talk about out on the road.

"Could I give him 40 weeks a year? Of course I can't, because I have four kids a wife and I live in America. That's the main problem. It's more of a practical problem than anything."

As for the prospect of working with the 12-time Grand Slam champion Federer, the Swede said that it was unrealistic to believe that it would happen.

"If Roger Federer asked me for help, would I say yes? Yes obviously," Wilander said.

"I think that's pretty far-fetched with what's going to happen, but everybody would love to work with one of the nicest people in the world and the greatest player in the world."

Wilander has criticised Federer in the past for failing to show the sort of competitive edge needed to overcome current world number one Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.

"I do think that he needs somebody who has won the French Open a bunch of times in different ways," Wilander said.

"I won the French Open against [Guillermo] Villas pushing, and I won the French Open against [Ivan] Lendl in 1985 by changing my game after a set and becoming way more aggressive and coming to the net a lot on poor shots."

"I think that I have an experience that could help [Federer], but then you still have to relate to one another as people and you have to be able to relay the message."

Wilander added that he didn't think Federer needed to necessarily tap him, but should look for help from somebody who made significant adjustments to his style of play in order to do well at the French Open.

"A person like that could definitely help him to go through it, maybe not to win it, but certainly to explore Nadal's weaknesses a little more than he has."

Spain's Nadal has beaten Federer in three successive French Open finals and won the Paris title for four straight seasons.

The 27-year-old Federer has won every Grand Slam except for Roland Garros.

Wilander praised the Swiss world number two's current claycourt coach Jose Higueras, but said that Federer could be better off with a player who has won the French Open title or come close.

"I'm not saying that I'm a better or worse coach than the coaches he has surrounded himself with, but I did win it three times," he said.

"So there is a possibility that maybe he could pick up on."

Wilander listed John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, and Patrick Rafter as others who could help tutor the five-time Wimbledon champion on clay.

"I think McEnroe could really help Federer on clay, even though he didn't win it, because that style of play is what Federer needs to do against Nadal unless he redevelops his backhand and does something completely different."

"He needs somebody who served and volleyed and came to the net on little weird shots in the middle of the court.

"Just someone to make him kind of understand that offensive, aggressive style of play even on clay."

Jeremy Stahl / Eurosport

Comment 17 - 36 of 36

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  1. Federer just got married......finally

    From CHUKWUDI A, on Mon 13 Apr 4:36AM

  2. Wilander, I'm sorry to say this, but I think you will help Federer to be more tense in a situation like this because u are truly making it to seem like a ''do or die affair..You really teuly do not like Rafa but he doesn't even need your support to succeed...look at your comments before the Oz open finals...Is it because he has won twice the number of GSs you could summon? Federer does not have what it takes to win at RG. Even if Rafa fails to appear in the final..which in itself is impossible, someone else might have beaten Federer before the finals...Apart from Nadal, there are other guys that can still hurt Federer on clay if they drop that ''it is Federer I am playing'' mentality

    From CHUKWUDI A, on Mon 13 Apr 4:34AM

  3. this is a joke right?

    From rafaelo807, on Sat 4 Apr 9:40PM

  4. £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

    From Luke O, on Mon 23 Mar 3:27PM

  5. there is no way that is gonna ever happend. That is Rafa place, Rafa`s hood (:
    and Rog is becoming fatther on summer, that is a big, big factor !

    From Adma, on Sat 14 Mar 6:22PM

  6. Mats Willander always puts down Nadal I have heard him many times, even at the Australian open! He soon proved you wrong didn't he? Its biased and unfair the way he speaks about Federer towards Nadal. After all Nadal is such a great champion and person also, how DARE HE MAKE SUCH COMMENTS, really wrong way to talk.

    From faeelisabethcoleman, on Mon 23 Feb 11:31PM

  7. i think it's great after all to see Roger cry after his loss,yes,another one to Rafa,maybe it's not so much the feeling of letting a win escape,or losing to Nadal for the third gran slam in a row,but maybe that at 27,when most champions retire after losing the number one spot,he just proved that he still wants it so much.Personally, i'm gonna be at loss for heroes when he,then Nadal goes.Maybe it's unfair for the other guys out there who could get their hands on a gran slam title sometimes,but few greats can get that many and are so awesome to watch.So,please Fed,hold on as much as you can for the fans,for the sport,for History,and for always one more final against Rafa,if your spirits can last for five sets against that great sympathetic spaniard destroyer,no matter how many passing shots out of nowhere he through at you,and how many winners it takes to win one point against that guy,you still have it and could win.just not last year but the last two slams...

    From coolworld, on Mon 23 Feb 1:14AM

  8. hi Mats,being french,i was 17 at your RG final against Yannick Noah,and i always thought at one point,during the match,you paused and looked at the french crowd going crazy for Yannick and decided to let that title go.Doesn't matter if you could have won it or not,Noah was fantastic that day and truly deserved the win,but i felt you could have maybe stole it fom him.Could you take Federer and make him a clay champion ? iknow Nadal is fantastic and really invicible on clay and probably deserve everything,but Roger is so close,it'd be great for him and us if you could shape his mind into getting that trophy before it's too late.

    Please do try and convince him to let you coach him. And best regards from a good fan of yours.

    From coolworld, on Mon 23 Feb 12:54AM

  9. Exactly what they said b4 the Oz open. Do all the talking while Nadal does all the winning. GS fot Nadal, vamos!

    From Roy B, on Tue 10 Feb 3:49PM

  10. YO'ALL never understimate Federer, he's one of the greatest of all time and yes Nadal may b the dominant force now but he has long way to catch Federer. no one expectd that Nadal wins Wimbeldon last year so i damn-guarante that this year is gonna be Federer that breaks the rules and wins RG.

    From iluvsoma, on Sun 8 Feb 3:10AM

  11. Trust me Roger will not win any grand slam this year for he's too old.......And FEVER EXCUSE everytime......?????????

    From sagupaan43, on Wed 28 Jan 7:21PM

  12. No Player has own a GS Tournament.Listen to my words Roger will win it in spring 09

    From Puperkatzi 2, on Sun 25 Jan 5:49PM

  13. NO WAY :(. This title is only for RAFA no one else.

    From Natasha, on Sat 24 Jan 9:41PM

  14. Roger Federer will win the French Open in 2009

    From Puperkatzi 2, on Sat 24 Jan 7:48PM

  15. Wilander and perhaps Lendl might be the only players with the experience, intelligence, and character available to Roger to help tame the beast, Rafa, of Roland Garros. Aggressive play coupled with a bit more guile, i.e. drop shots, hugging the baseline and short, low slices may be the only way to handle Rafa. Certainly getting into a macho style groundstroke battle will and has lead to defeat, sometimes humiliating defeats. All of this is unquestionably easier said than done. Furthermore, I believe Roger wants to meet and defeat Rafa sur terre parisienne in the final in front of the tennis world and then, and only then, can Roger feel at peace with his place in tennis history. Roger certainly will be considered one of the all-time best, he just wants to remove all doubt.

    From jusputtinwork, on Thu 25 Dec 5:59AM

  16. I was wondering where Borg fends out in this scheme of things, I think that Borg could also help Roger, and I was also wondering that who would win between Borg and Rafa, when both are in their prime. That would be interesting.

    From dana e, on Wed 19 Nov 2:18AM

  17. The only good person for Roger is Tony Roche, despite that, I see Roger comeing back to No 1 and even winnig Wimbledon and RG. Allez Roger!!!

    From emmiyke87, on Thu 13 Nov 1:59PM

  18. Go Fedex Go

    From Marian T, on Thu 13 Nov 2:12AM

  19. Roger is the king of tennis and next year he will be the king of Roland Garros, with or without Wilander. Roger is coming back now and if people cannot see that, they need to go to the nearest opticians they can find! Vamos, Allez and Come on to Roger!

    From parvizi, on Wed 24 Sep 5:46PM

  20. Mats was a great player and knows how to win RG!!! Federer tried with Higueras and didnt work! But the truth is that it seems that the key to Federer win in RG is Nadal being out of the tournament or to be the Fed he hasnt been against the spaniard

    From tiagomarcelino, on Tue 23 Sep 5:05PM
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