The wheel of coaches for Genie Bouchard continues to turn. First, it was Sam Sumyk, who replaced her long-time coach Nick Saviano with whom Bouchard parted ways in November. Bouchard fired Sumyk after Wimbledon and started working with Marko Dragic. That didn’t work out, so next up was a high-profile consultancy with Jimmy Connors at the US Open. That appeared to do some good for the young Canadian, who reached the round of sixteen at the US Open before the partnership was cut short by Bouchard’s concussion in the locker room. Now, it looks like Thomas Hogstedt is the next name to be thrown into the mix, as he was seen practising with Bouchard this week in Beijing.
Hogstedt's Coaching Resume
Hogstedt has a long coaching resume with several big names on the ATP and WTA tours, with many of whom had solid results with the former pro from Sweden. These names include Tommy Haas, who reached his career high of number two in the world with Hogstedt. On the women’s side, he started with Daniela Hantuchova, before moving on to coach Li Na, whose rise to the top of the women’s game began under Hogstedt's guidance. He left Li at the end of 2010 to take over coaching Maria Sharapova. When Hogstedt took over, Sharapova was struggling with form and injuries, but under Hogstedt, Sharapova transformed herself, becoming the WTA tour’s best clay court player, completing her career Grand Slam in 2012. She also returned to number one in the world in 2012. She’s been a consistent top five player since Hogstedt reinvigorated her career. Brief stints with Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens and Simona Halep followed.
How would Hogstedt fit in with Bouchard?
Hogstedt is extremely experienced and has worked with players that have a wide array of styles and personalities. Adjusting to Bouchard shouldn’t be a problem for Hogstedt, so they can get down to work sooner, which is clearly a good thing for the Canadian. Hogstedt is also adaptable and can help Bouchard build her style, as opposed to him trying to mould her, which is often a tougher role for a coach.
Hogstedt has a good record at building top players. Tommy Haas played his best tennis under Hogstedt, and he was then responsible for turning around Li Na’s career. While she didn’t win either of her slams with the Swede, she entered the top ten and started going deep in slams under Hogstedt’s guidance.
Hogstedt's Role In Transforming Sharapova
When Hogstedt took over coaching Maria Sharapova in 2011, Sharapova’s career was in a downward spiral. She was outside of the top ten and had struggled with injuries since winning her last grand slam title back in 2011. Hogstedt helped to turn Sharapova around and get her back into the top ten. What’s more is that he helped to transform Sharapova’s game which has allowed her to remain one of the WTA tours top players.
Prior to her time with Hogstedt, Sharapova played a big hitting game primarily based around her gigantic serve. Not surprisingly, she started to struggle with shoulder injuries that threatened to end her career. If she continued to play with that heavy style, she would have had a short career. Hogstedt helped to change it up, improving her footwork and building more solid, consistent groundstrokes to replace her big serve.
He managed to turn the former “cow on ice,” Sharapova’s description of herself on clay, into tennis’ clay court queen. After struggling on clay throughout her early career, Hogstedt set Sharapova on a path to three straight French Open finals, winning two titles. She’s remained a top player across the tour since, thanks to Hogstedt’s guidance.
Can Hogstedt Help Bouchard Like He Did With Sharapova?
The fact that Hogstedt did great things with Sharapova is reason to be believe that he could do well with Bouchard. Bouchard grew up idolising the Russian and there are lots of similarities between them. Stylistically, they both play similar, big hitting baseline styles. Hogstedt can help Bouchard hammer out the issues with her strokes and start to build them up into serious weapons. Bouchard still struggles against players who can out-hit her and get her moving. Sharapova tends to be a player who dictates, just like Li Na. These are players Hogstedt develops very effectively. If you look at the players he’s struggled with, namely Wozniacki and Halep, they’re not big hitters. They’re not the type of the player Hogstedt does his best work with, but Bouchard fits the mould almost perfectly. He can really help her get her game to a level where she’s dictating, rather than being made to run.
Another similarity between Bouchard and Sharapova is that both also make being a celebrity a priority. That can be a great challenge for a coach to deal with, as their player may be more interested in a photo shoot than training. It can take a special temperament for a coach to still achieve success for players with those qualities, but Hogstedt clearly is capable in that regard. This could be very important because Bouchard likes the limelight and her tennis has suffered because of it. If Hogstedt can do what he did with Sharapova and get her focus in the right place, while teaching her how to balance celebrity life, it could be a very successful partnership.
Thomas Hogstedt has a proven track record as a coach in the tennis world. He will bring a wealth of experience to the young yet promising Eugenie Bouchard. While nothing has been confirmed about long term plans, he would be a good fit for the young Canadian who is in desperate need of guidance. Bouchard may not play much this winter because of her concussion suffered at the US Open, but she needs to find a coach sooner rather than later, and Hogstedt is a very viable option.