Tennis
Ivanovic hires British coach
2011-06-30 12:28
London - Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic has hired Nigel Sears, the head of women's tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association, to help rebuild a career which once saw her on top of the world rankings.
"I couldn’t be happier. I’ve admired Nigel for some time now, and I can’t wait to start working with him," said the world number 18, who was knocked out in the third round at Wimbledon.
"It was important that I waited for the right coach, and we are both excited about the challenges ahead."
Sears spent almost five years with the LTA in London, a period which saw five British women break into the world's top 100, two make the top 50 and two girls (Laura Robson and Heather Watson) win junior grand slam titles.
"It's been a real privilege to be in charge of women's tennis at the LTA, and an honour to captain Great Britain's Fed Cup team, and I feel we've made considerable progress in the women's game over this period," said Sears.