Roger Federer said on Saturday that new coaching advisor Stefan Edberg will arrive shortly in Melbourne as the four-time champion prepares for his start next week at the Australian Open.
The veteran Swede, who will work intermittently with four-time Australian champion Federer over the course of the season, is expected to help freshen up the game of the 32-year-old Swiss, winner of a record 17 grand slam titles and bidding for his fifth at Melbourne Park.
The pair made the decision to work together after a December week of experimental training in Dubai.
“He’s arriving here in the next few days. We’ll see how it goes really, for all of us to find out it’s going to be, how he wants it to be, how I want it to be.
“We’ll talk about it hopefully as the tournament goes along.” As is usual for the well-organised Federer, there is also a Plan B: “If it doesn’t (Federer loses early), we’ll go back to practice maybe, do something different, figure things out on the practice courts again.
“Clearly I hope he’s coming here for matches. Then always on the day off we have time to talk about things, how we’ll manage it.” Federer is not expecting to make dramatic changes under the 47-year-old’s tutelage, given that he has his regular coach Severin Luthi on hand as usual.
“My life on tour is pretty much settled, it’s always solid routines.
Stefan will just fit in nicely into that. I’m just really excited that he’s taken up the offer because I didn’t think he was going to do it because he’s got a life. He doesn’t need this.
“For me, clearly it’s very exciting to have him as part of the team.
I’m looking forward to every week I’ll spend with him on the tour this year.”