Roger Federer announced on his official website – www.RogerFederer.com – that he will begin working with former Pete Sampras coach Paul Annacone as a “test.”
Wrote Federer, “Dear Fans, 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. See you soon Roger”
Federer has been virtually “coachless” since ending a relationship with former Jim Courier and Michael Chang coach Jose Higueras in 2008.
Federer, currently ranked No. 3 in the world (his lowest ranking since 2003), failed to reach the semifinals at this last two major tournaments at Wimbledon and the French Open. The 16-time major tournament champion is expected to return to play next month in Toronto. His lone tournament victory in 2010 came at the Australian Open in January.
Severin Luthi, the Swiss Davis Cup captain, has been traveling with Federer for much of the last 18 months.
Annacone was a former top 20 player, U.S. Davis Cupper and former coach of Pete Sampras, Tim Henman and most recently as the head of coaching for Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association. He and the LTA recently announced that their relationship would not be renewed.
Federer previously worked with Peter Lundgren, Tony Roche and Higueras. His childhood coach, Peter Carter, died in a car crash in 2002.
In 2009, as documented in the new paperback book ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($19.95, New Chapter Press) by Rene Stauffer, Federer “failed in his attempt to lure the top Australian coach Darren Cahill to coach him.” Wrote Stauffer, “Cahill, who had worked with both Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt, decided after a short test period to take a different position that allowed him to spend more time with his wife and his two kids, who live in Las Vegas.”