Craig Kardon, Ana’s new coach

Craig Kardon interview

April 07, 2009 /

We talk exclusively to Craig Kardon, Ana’s new coach:

Tell us about your tennis background.
I played a lot of tennis and golf from the age of about 11. I liked tennis better because it’s more active. I played national level juniors and travelled to Europe for junior tournaments. I then won a tennis scholarship to the University of Texas and after I graduated I was ranked in the 200s in singles and doubles on the ATP Tour.

After that I was a national coach for the United States Tennis Association and I began working with Martina Navratilova in 1988. I was in my late 20s at the time. I was with her for six years and worked with many players after she retired, including Mary Pierce, Lindsay Davenport, Xavier Malisse, Vince Spadea and Jennifer Capriati.

How would you describe your coaching philosophy?
I individualize my philosophy for each player because each player is different. I like to encourage attacking tennis, especially with someone like Ana who has so much firepower and potential to dominate. It’s all about imposing your game on your opponent.

My philosophy is more about taking the skills that the player has and improving them to get the best out of their game, including tactics, strategy and shot selection.

Which areas of her game does Ana need to work on the most?
She’s still developing in all areas, which is exciting considering the success she has already had. She’s 21, so her technique is pretty much set and we’re not looking to change much there. Ana is an instinctive player and she’s told me she’s at her best when she’s not worrying about perfect technique – in any case her technique is pretty damn good!

I want to work more on imposing her return game and I want her to play more attacking points on the return of serve. I want to increase her confidence so she can finish points at the net: she has excellent volley technique.

You have followed Ana for a number of years. Are there any matches in particular that stand out?
The Australian Open semi-final where she came back after that first set debacle against Hantuchova stands out. Even though she lost the first set 6-0, she remained calm and she regrouped. She noticed her opponent’s confidence was shrinking and she cut down her own errors: her game improved during the match, which is the sign of a champion.

Of course, her play during the French Open last year was equally impressive.

Which do you think is Ana’s best surface?
Ana is fortunate in that she is an all-court player. She’s obviously had some great success on clay, but I think that with her aggressive game she can be a real force on grass. Some of my personal coaching highs have come at Wimbledon, and I’d love to see her do very well there.

Is Ana easier or harder to coach than you expected?
I had heard only good things about Ana and her professionalism from my friends on the Tour before I started working with her, so I sort of knew that she was going to be easy to work with. But what took me by surprise is how motivated she is to learn.

She’s very good at implementing new suggestions. It really helps that we agree on how she should build on her own game: the entire team shares that philosophy and we enjoy working together.