Former tennis star Ivan Ljubicic has opened up on his ties with 20-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer. The Croat, who has coached Federer to three Grand Slam titles, recently announced his foray into sports management with the launch of LJ Sports Group.

Asked whether he will continue to be Federer’s sparring partner after the launch of his new venture, Ljubicic said, “My job is and remains to be Roger Federer’s coach.”

“It’s an activity I’ve always done on my own” – Ivan Ljubicic

Ljubicic also said, “However, during the COVID break, I decided to start this new company. It is an activity that I had always done on my own, but now there are new partners with me. We intend to grow and structure ourselves better and better.” 

When asked how he plans on dedicating equal time and effort to his new venture and his coaching commitment to Federer, Ljubicic said, “I used last spring’s forced break to lay the foundations for (my) future work. The goal is that my constant physical presence is not needed. Also, I will be by Roger’s side for quite a while, I hope.”

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“There’ll never be a problem between us” – Ljubicic on rivaling Roger Federer

On whether he intends to rival Federer, who has his own sports management firm Team8 Global, Ljubicic said, “Before being the coach, I have been a great friend of Roger for many years. There is no problem and there will never be, between us. Also, because he started this business before me”

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Plans to handle rising Italian tennis star Matteo Berrettini

Asked how his company plans to handle rising Italian rookie Matteo Berrettini, Ljubicic said, “Matteo is an exceptional guy, as well as a great player. We will try to help him, especially from the commercial side, to find partners who (like us) believe in him and in a long-term project, so that the boy can focus only on tennis.” 

“A general supervision, which includes the search for sponsors and, if desired, the technical part. This is certainly not the case with Matteo, who is already followed very well,” Ljubicic said. “But for our other kids, if they need a hand to build the team (coach, physiotherapist, physical trainer and so on) we are there,” Ljubicic said.

(All quotes have been translated)