Five coaches nominated for 2024 Coach of the Year

Before champions are crowned in front of packed stadiums on the ATP Tour, they are made on the practice court under the watchful eye of their coaches. These coaches often work in the background, happy to leave the glory to their players. In the 2024 ATP Awards, our five Coach of the Year nominees step into the spotlight.

This year's nominees are Xavier Malisse (coach of Alexei Popyrin), Emmanuel Planque (Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard), Michael Russell (Taylor Fritz), Brad Stine (Tommy Paul) and James Trotman (Jack Draper). The nominees and winner in this category are voted on by fellow coaches.

ATP Awards winners will be announced during Awards Week, starting Monday, 9 December.

Xavier Malisse (Alexei Popyrin)
As part of Popyrin's coaching team alongside Neville Godwin, Malisse — a former Top 20 player in the PIF ATP Rankings — has helped the Aussie climb to the cusp of that elite group this season. Under the tutelage of Malisse and Godwin, a former Top 100 player himself, Popyrin won the biggest title of his career at the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 and entered the Top 25 for the first time.

"Neville and I worked a lot on the backhand. We've been working on more variety, slicing a little bit, and then working with the serve," said Malisse, who also credited fitness coach Evan Jenkins and physiotherapist Valentin Hollier for improving Popyrin's strength.

Malisse and Godwin also emphasised patience with Popyrin, encouraging him to work the points more and attack at the right moment.

Malisse's coaching style in his own words: "Neville and I are a little bit different. When we are at the match, Neville might be a bit more intense sometimes, talking to Alexei. I stay more very relaxed, try to keep emotions in check, which is not always easy. But I like to say little things at the right time. I think coaching is knowing when to say something."

Emmanuel Planque (Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard)
Planque guided the 21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard to a breakout season, with the Frenchman winning his first two ATP Tour titles (Lyon, Basel) and breaking into the Top 30 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time.

"Giovanni had an excellent 2024 season, managing to improve his way of playing week after week," said Planque, pointing to the four tournaments (including three on the ATP Challenger Tour) Perricard won from February to May. "He is starting to become familiar with high-level matches. The end of the season sent us this message by winning in Basel. However, we are aware that we still have a lot of work to do to one day be among the best players."

Mpetshi Perricard was also nominated for a 2024 ATP Award, in the Most Improved Player category.

Planque's coaching style in his own words: "It's never really easy to define your way of working. Certainly, I am demanding and I strongly believe in work values but in fact, I simply hope to be a human, fair, and respectful coach of the athletes with whom I work.”

Coach of the Year ? #ATPAwards pic.twitter.com/fElcl0XNFH

Michael Russell (Taylor Fritz)
Russell helped Fritz reach his first Grand Slam final at the US Open as well as his first title match at the Nitto ATP Finals. After posting a 17-4 record at the Grand Slams, more than doubling his previous high for major wins in a year, the American finished the season at a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 4.

Asked where he made the biggest impact on Fritz's game this season, Russell's response was indicative of his holistic approach to coaching: "I think there is some impact in all parts of his game to continuing to be physically stronger and more explosive on and off the court, to being more comfortable finishing points at the net as well as having more confidence in pressure situations and stages."

Russell's coaching style in his own words: "My coaching style would be a mix of holistic, democratic, and autocratic. You have to have open communication and be empathetic while still creating structure and accountability. Taylor and I have a very good synergistic relationship."

Brad Stine (Tommy Paul)
Stine helped Paul win three titles this season (Dallas, Queen's Club, Stockholm) after the American entered 2024 with just one ATP Tour trophy to his name. Those three winning weeks, plus a final run in Delray Beach, led Paul to finish the year at a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 12.

Stine feels his biggest impact on Paul this season was on the mental side of the game, particularly his "commitment to his identity as a player and his mental toughness".

Stine's coaching style in his own words: "Collaborative."

James Trotman (Jack Draper)
Trotman was in Draper's corner for the Briton's breakout season, which included his first two tour-level titles in Stuttgart and Vienna. Set to turn 23 on 22 December, Draper will finish the year at a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 15.

"I think the biggest area I helped Jack with his tennis this season was to play more aggressively, especially in the bigger moments in matches," Trotman said of his season alongside the British No. 1. "A mentality in those situations to play to win."

Draper was also nominated for a 2024 ATP Award, in the Most Improved Player category.

Trotman's coaching style in his own words: "My coaching style would be very much around sticking to a plan and not being too reactive, given the nature of the Tour with its ups and downs. Try to identify those areas of development and be consistent with the work to make those improvements over time."

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