We can stop speculating now (or click here, here, here and here), Darren Cahill is coaching Roger Federer.
Which means that the really juicy gossip begins: Are they committed? Will they be good for each other? Can they make it through the rough times? And, most important, will their partnership bear fruit?
To make it easier, I’ve started a score sheet on the tennis world’s very own Brangelina. Long live Fedhill!
IT’S A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN:
1. Darren Cahill’s a catch. Cahill’s a top-notch coach with a stellar resume: making Lleyton Hewitt the youngest-ever No. 1 in the world in 2001 (at 20) and Andre Agassi the oldest No. 1 ever in 2003 (at 33).
2. Roger Federer’s legendary. At 27 years old, Roger Federer is not yet flirting with the “elder statesman” title that Andre carried so well at the late stages of his career. But Roger is, like Agassi in 2006, the only undisputed “Legend” playing on the tour. Cahill understands the pressures and priorities this kind of player has when he’s trying to secure his place in the history books.
3. Darren feel’s Fed’s pain. Andre had back problems, Roger has back problems. Cahill knows his chiropractors from his cortisone shots and will be a good nurse.
4. They’ve got friends in common. Cahill was a close friend of Roger Federer’s formative coach, fellow-Aussie Peter Carter, who passed away in 2002. Thus, Darren has known Roger’s game from a coach’s perspective since Fed was a junior. In a 2007 article in Fox Sports, Cahill recounts a visit he paid Carter in Basel, where he observed a thirteen-year-old Federer at play. He told his friend: “Carts, you could drive a bus through that backhand. Look at that thing. He shanks it half the time, his slice sits up, he takes a huge step when it’s outside the slot and he’s not stepping to the left on the neutral ball.” His final verdict: “He’s okay.”
I think that this shared history – and the shared love for a good friend – creates a foundation of respect and trust that’s necessary for a successful coach/player partnership.
5. Vegas, baby! Darren’s still tight with exes Andre Agassi and A.A.’s trainer-guru Gil Reyes, who runs a high-performance training center in Las Vegas. Fernando Verdasco spent some time there before this year’s Australian and came out a superhero. Reyes’s contract with Adidas probably makes working with Roger a conflict of interest, and Agassi isn’t going into coaching anytime soon, but you gotta think that their formidable influence will trickle down to Roger somehow. Obviously this is speculation, but isn’t the idea pretty intriguing?
BUT NOBODY’S PERFECT:
1. Roger’s a “coach-eater”. He ditched Lundgren in 2003, the year he won his first Wimbledon title, he dumped Tony Roche after winning 6 majors with him, and his latest super-coach, Jose Higueras, barely made it into the players’ box. The only constant confidants in Roger’s camp have been girlfriend Mirka and Swiss Davis Cup Captain Severin Luthi. These two aren’t going to tell Roger anything he doesn’t want to hear. If Darren Cahill is going to have any effect, he’s going to have to show Roger Federer why his nickname is “Killer.”
2. The Bennifer effect. The Cahill/Federer partnership has gone through the rumor mill so many times that the reality might not stand up to the hype. If Roger doesn’t dismantle Nadal at Wimbledon (some hard core Fedophiles might even expect results at the French) will Roger and Darren face a barrage of criticism not seen since Bennifer starred in Gigli?
3. Roger’s a confirmed bachelor. Does Roger really need a coach cramping his style? He was “this” close to beating Rafa at Wimbledon and the Australian this year, and many say it’s “only” a mental block holding Roger back from victory. Maybe all Rog needs is a little luck and a date with a sports psychologist instead of another ego playing with his mind and his backhand.
4. Is Darren playing hard to get? Unless Darren’s lost his life savings to Bernie Madoff, why would he want to subject himself to the daily grind of the tour? His family’s in one desert (Las Vegas) and Roger’s in another (Dubai) and Andre Agassi’s already recruited him to help him with his World Team Tennis stint this summer. He has a cushy gig commentating at ESPN and he’s even said (jokingly) in the past that Roger Federer couldn’t afford him as a coach.
5. What about us? We need Cahill on ESPN! If Rog and Darren do tie the knot, the rest of us will be deprived of Darren’s insights from the commentary booth. Who’s going to go all “inside tennis” with Brad Gilbert – Chris Fowler?
Overall, I’m thrilled as a spinster aunt at a bridal shower. These two guys are just made for each other. What are you waiting for, fellas, take it down the aisle!
Tags: Cahill, coaching, Federer, tennis
Loading ...
I can’t find anything over the web. They got a contract now really?
ooups I just saw the breaking news B-)
LOL! Its ok..the font size is only 24
hahahah I’m so addicted with Federer that I didn’t took my eyes off the article until I read it to the end..I’m about to worry with this situation! ;p as for the ‘Brangelina of the tennis’.. LOL !
Until Sharapova hooks up with Safin or Ivanovic with Djokovic, or some other similar occurrence, Fed and Cahill are the best couple we got. Berdych/Safarova and Vaidisova/Stepanek aren’t nearly as sexy.
What? Stepanek’s not sexy? I don’t believe you….lol!
Wait – is this Nicole Vaidisova on the line!
Sorry for dissing your boyfriend! I’m sure he’s lovely once you get to know him.
I’m all for this! Darren Cahill can help Federer if Roger is willing to listen and change — not his game, but his tactics. To beat Nadal, he needs only a few more points per match — especially those break points that he often squanders. Maybe his experiences over the last 14 months will encourage him to be more receptive to Cahill’s ideas.
I can’t decide if we’re all overreacting – I think of how well Roger played in Australia and think. . .well does he really need a supercoach? But then I remember the final and think “yes!”
Lk28, I think you’re right to stress the tactical coaching over the nuts-and-bolts type of stuff. And also, if they get along well, I think Roger will have a little pressure taken off of him in the big moments – Darren can share it with him.
Tennis’s Brangelina… LOL. Are they going to adopt? One, two, or three?
How about “Caderer”?
Now the odds of Federer winning the French just goes up a notch!
Oooh, I didn’t think of the adoption angle. That would be sweet – travel the world and stay in five star digs and watch all the tennis you want! Yep, that’s heaven. Adopt me, too, Caderer!
ohmigod..thats genious! roger + cahill are going to have 100 3rd world kids sitting in roger’s box, all wearing Nike RF shirts, while he plays tennis!
You wrote: “5. What about us? We need Cahill on ESPN! If Rog and Darren do tie the knot, the rest of us will be deprived of Darren’s insights from the commentary booth. Who’s going to go all “inside tennis” with Brad Gilbert – Chris Fowler?”
If ESPN is losing Cahill as a commentator, may I suggest good old Jim Courier who should be an excellent replacement? I was in awe when he worked for ESPN a few years back, even though some people hated him recently when he did the US Open for USA network.
However, I think Jim is funny, handsome, witty (! some think he was sarcastic. I disagree) and comes with creditials that are unmatchable (except may be Johnny Mac).
Sure, I’d take him! We need someone who can talk over Chris Fowler, and I think Jim is up for the task.
I’m curious to see how Connors does on Tennis Channel this season. . .never heard him do the commentating thing before.
ughhhh…Chris Fowler?? man…that guy needs to learn to put a muzzle on while points are being played…he’s doing commentary like a radio commentator, and points out the obvious… Please Fowler…chill on the diarrhea of the mouth for once..
Roger has been working on his own for some time now so I wonder if Cahill is going to help. Okay I shouldn’t expect them to gel so quickly. Anyway it’s great to hear everyone has a coach now
HEY HCFOO!
I think Roger is/will be stubborn, but this is definitely a sign of a new page in Roger’s career. Its refreshing.
Te first time Roger goes down to Nadal, It”s bye bye Darren.
Hey Dean!
You think? I wonder – the only way I could see that happeneing is if they meet in both the Indian Wells and Miami finals and Roger loses. That’s no totally out of the realm of possibility, but with Rafa doing Davis Cup and Roger coming back from that non-injury injury, expectations will be lowered.
And then it’s the clay season where everyone expects Rafa to win everything.
The thing is – Federer played great during the Aussie Open. He had that blip against Berdych, of course, but he also double bageled Del Potro and dominated Roddick. And he had more than a few chances against Nadal. . .so I don’t know if we’re overreacting about the state of Roger’s game and what he needs from a coach.
Me, overreact about Roger? No way!
That’s right, Dean Wright! And actually it does not have to be Nadal. Losses to any of the other players would yield the same result and maybe even faster, because Roger is almost used to losing to Rafa by now, but losing to other people may still make him mad.
Hi Mark-y Mark!
I don’t know – such losses would definitely put Cahill in an awkward position, but I think Roger trusts him and respects him enough not to blame him if he goes out to Gilles Simon in the quarterfinals of Miami. I think the two will last through Wimbledon at least – that will be the big tester.
Roger is now at the most difficult phase of his career and we can not under-estimate the hurdles he is facing. I believe Roger understands that it takes time to form a fruitful coaching relationship. It is quite childish to dump your coach as soon as things are not going silky smooth.
From the bottom of my heart, I wish their co-operation will last.
Brangelina have 6 children now. Let’s see how many GS can Roger and Cahil bring.
Ha! I like the way you think, KK! 6 sounds good to me.
Actually, Mrs. FF, i hope you are right. If Darren is able to improve Roger’s game, which will take a few months because it is impossible to achieve instantaneously, this development will be good not only for Roger and his fans but for tennis in general.
This conversation is a little funny because it’s not like Roger has a lot to improve. But then again he does, because Rafa’s dominating him. So we’re either expecting a lot or a little from Darren, depending on our perspective.
This is a match made in heaven and on the court! So what if Darren’s not in the ESPN box commentating? For this partnership, I can suffer through Brad and Chris and whoever else ESPN can hire — to see Fed at #1 again would be the highlight of my life and most likely every die-hard Fed fan in the world — what a comeback! What a great opportunity for both Fed and Darren! Way to go!
Ha! Okay, you’re right, it’s a small sacrifice for us fans to make if it means Roger beats Pete’s record. Definitely a wise decision and I hope they’re very happy together.
Of course, Roger does not have all that much to improve but that little something is very difficult to achieve precisely because we are talking about such a high level of the game. It is similar to well-known truth that it is usually much harder to go from number 10 to number 1 than it is to go from number 100 to number 50. So, a great coach may be helpful in his situation.
Or like trying to lose that last five pounds. . .
Tell me about it…