Roger Federer To Work With Paul Annacone

Monday 26th July 2010 - 20:54:59

Roger Federer has brought Pete Sampras’ former coach Paul Annacone on board for a ‘test period’ as he looks to rediscover his winning form.

It’s been a troublesome year for the sixteen times Grand Slam champion and former world number one as he has failed to lift a title since the Australian Open back in January.

He struggled on the clay, failing to defend his Madrid Masters and his French Open title while Rafael Nadal took the Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid Masters titles as well as winning in Paris to reclaim the world number one spot.

Federer also failed to reach the Wimbledon final, crashing out in the quarters to Tomas Berdych and saw his ranking slip to number three, the first time he has been out of the top two in seven years.

So in a bid to get back to winning ways just before the U.S. Open he has teamed up with Annacone, who remains as the men’s head coach at the Lawn tennis association until November.

Speaking on his website Federer said: "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."

Federer has not been in action since his shock quarter final loss at Wimbledon but will return to the court for the Rogers Cup in Toronto at the beginning of August.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw