Grigor Dimitrov’s long search for a new coach may be nearing its conclusion. It was confirmed Thursday that Franco Davin, former coach of Juan Martin Del Potro, will be working with Dimitrov in Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo. While no long term plans have been made, they will re-evaluate their situation after this trial period.

Dimitrov has been without a coach since Wimbledon, when he parted with coach of two years Roger Rasheed. Dimitrov, who had reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2014, had just lost in the third round at the All-England Club. Dimitrov has had a very disappointing season in 2015, following what seemed to be a breakthrough year in 2014. Dimitrov won three titles in 2014, but has failed to reach a final in 2015. He also failed to reach the quarter-finals of a major. General inconsistency plagued the young Bulgarian throughout the season, the eventual outcome being the parting of ways with Rasheed. Dimitrov’s results did not improve over the summer while playing without a coach. He has yet to get past the third round in any event after Wimbledon.

Rumors surrounding Dimitrov and potential coaches have been swirling all summer. They started when Dimitrov was spotted practicing with Ivan Lendl, former coach of Andy Murray. However, Lendl turned down an offer from Dimitrov to become his new coach. Franco Davin was the next name mentioned. At the time, he was largely overshadowed by the possibility of Lendl coming on board with Dimitrov, but after Lendl backed away, Davin became the logical choice.

Davin would be a good fit for Dimitrov. In fifteen years coaching on the ATP World Tour, Davin has coached two players to grand slam titles and helped develop another future grand slam champion. Davin started his coaching career with Guillermo Coria, who would eventually become the tour’s premier clay court player, world number three and French Open finalist. After Coria, Davin began coaching Gaston Gaudio. In 2004, under Davin’s guidance, Gaudio would make an improbable run to the French Open final, defeating Coria in one of the strangest finals tennis had ever seen to become possibly the biggest surprise champion in tennis history. In 2007, Davin began coaching a young Juan Martin Del Potro. Davin transformed the young Argentine into a champion, helping Del Potro rise into the top five and win the 2009 US Open.

Del Potro credited Davin for his transformation into a champion. When Del Potro broke onto the tour in 2008 by winning four straight titles in four straight tournaments, he said of Davin, "He changed my game. He changed my mind. He changed everything. When I play and I see him in the stands, it gives me confidence. I can play relaxed." (courtesy of ATPworldtour.com)

Davin was the main reason why Del Potro became a champion and Gaudio, too. Dimitrov is probably hoping that Davin can accomplish the feat for a third time.

Davin has a proven track record of building champions. This makes him a logical fit for Dimitrov. Dimitrov has been considered one of the tour’s prime up-and-coming players on the ATP World Tour for a long time. Much has been expected of Dimitrov since he was a teenager, but at age 24, he still has yet to prove himself as a serious contender on the tour. He is still in need of that extra push. Davin seems like the perfect man to give Dimitrov that push. He has the experience working with young players looking to become champions. Building champions is what Davin does best.

What’s more is that Davin’s strength is helping to calm players down and help them build mental strength. That was the case with Del Potro and it worked out perfectly. And that’s what Dimitrov needs. His struggles have been primarily mental of late. He has a very solid game. He doesn’t really need to develop his shots any more. When he plays his best, he’s already capable of competing with, even defeating the world’s top players. That’s not the problem. He needs help with the mental side of the game. That’s where Davin comes in. He’s made a career out of helping to calm down players and get them to focus. It worked for Coria, Gaudio and Del Potro. The latter would have been more successful if not for injuries. Davin has proven that he is capable of turning young players with mental struggles into champions. That’s why he is a good fit for Dimitrov.

Dimitrov is teaming up with Davin just in time for one of his strongest parts of the season. Dimitrov has done pretty well on the European indoor hard courts in the past. He’s reached the last two finals in Stockholm, winning in 2013. It’s a good time to start working with Davin, as his confidence should be high to begin with. The next two tournaments could make or break this partnership. With any luck, Dimitrov will succeed under Davin. If he doesn’t succeed now, he may be out of time to become the champion the world has always expected.

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About the author
Pete Borkowski
Tennis has always been my obsession. What better way to channel that obsession than writing about it? After 18 months of blogging with Sportsblog.com as the writer of A Fan Obsesseds blog, all the while completing my Bachelors in history and French, I joined VAVEL so that I can better share my love and knowledge of tennis with the world.