Dušan Lajović is in the semifinal of the Barcelona Open and has set up a monumental clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas. Lajović managed to arrive in the semifinal by creating several upsets in the tournament. He beat the seeded player Ugo Humbert in straight sets and another top seed, Arthur Fils, despite a lower win percentage on first serve. The guidance of his long-time coach, Jose Perlas, has helped him arrive on the stage. But who is Jose Perlas?

Perlas, an established coach, joined hands with Lajović in 2016. He began his career before the 1980’s when he became the Director of Andres Gimeno School of Tennis in 1985, working till 1989. He then became the Director of Competition Academy in 1990 and left in 1994. In 1994, he became a coach of R.F.E.T., High Performance Center, leaving the post in 1995.

Perlas went on to coach several accomplished players. His best record came with Carlos Moya, as the two won a Grand Slam in 1998, attaining number 1 in the ATP. He also worked with Albert Costa, who also won a Grand Slam title in 2002, reaching number 7 under Perlas. The Spanish coach then helped Guillermo Coria rise to rank 5, and Nicolas Almagro reach rank 9. 

Perlas has taken the Spanish Davis Cup team to the title twice in his career. He has also worked with Juan Carlos Ferrero, Fabio Fognini and Janko Tipsarevic. Perlas has had a successful run in the past, and now he aims to take Lajović to the same heights as his previous players. Lajović has reached a career-high ranking of 23 in 2019 with the help of Perlas. 

In a 2020 interview, the coach talked about the strategy he used to coach the Serbian player, which he believed had brought immense success to the player.

Jose Perlas believes he has ‘succeeded in giving the right order’ to Dušan Lajović 

In an interview with Sports Pundit in 2020, Perlas revealed insights regarding their collaboration. “First and foremost, the high level of commitment and the capacity to take on significant amounts of work, which has made our labor as a team easier,” he said of Lajovic’s evolution at the tour level.

As per him, one fundamental aspect of training is figuring out the game pattern which is compatible with the player’s qualities and personality. As per him, “I believe we have succeeded with Dusan in giving the right order to the process and development of the plan we have established.”

The Serbian’s continued partnership shows his faith in his coach, and with his recent run into the semifinal, it is possible that they find another way to break through on the ATP Tour. Lajović has shown great performances in the last week, but can he overcome Tsitsipas?