by Maxime Braeckman
A unique atmosphere in the fantastic Monte Carlo Country Tennis Club. I had never been there before. To my surprise, upon arrival I see Jannik Sinner training on Center Court. Impressive to observe this from so close, especially the sound of his ball contact. That evening, I find out that Sander and Joran will be playing their first round match against the Italian duo (Sinner/Sonego)
The first training sessions are going well, the feeling is excellent and the intensity at training is very high!
We are ready for the first match as a team: My very first doubles match with Sander and Joran as a coach. For your information: We have been training together for the past 7 years at the WLTA, first in Genk, currently in Hasselt.
Gigantic turnout for the match! Monte Carlo is near Italy and Sinner is the current number 2 of the world in single. As many as 200 people cannot enter the stands: Court Nr 2 is fully booked. A Davis Cup atmosphere reigns, with lots of cheering (mostly Italian) supporters.
The fairytale week could have ended in the first round. Although Sander & Joran were down a set and a break in the second set (67 14), they showed their amazing fighting spirit and eventually turned the match around at the score of 67 75 10/7.
A day of rest between the 1st and the 2nd round gave us the opportunity to train specifically in view of the upcoming match against the number one seeds Dodig/Kraijcek, the doubles winners of Monte Carlo 2023.
The specific training must have been good because we won the 2nd round match 64 63.
In the quarter and semi-finals, Sander & Joran defeated the Germans Puetz/Krawietz 75 64 and Zeballos/Granollers 75 64 respectively. In my opinion, Zeballos and Granollers are currently the strongest doubles team in the world. Needless to say that the first match of Sander & Joran on the iconic Monte Carlo Center Court was a huge success!
The final against Zverev/Melo was very balanced with both teams achieving a very high level, 57 63. A super tiebreak was going to decide who wins the title.
After a few strong services and some great points in the match tiebreak, Sander and Joran won the doubles final in Monte Carlo, their maiden ATP Masters 1000 Series Doubles title! And a 2nd one for me as a coach, thanks to former tennis player Xavier Malisse who won Indian Wells in 2011 next to Dolgopolov...
For me, as a coach, it is a new experience to work with 2 players having 2 different personalities. It is a priceless experience to be able expressing yourself in your own language with 2 top players. Both are different but they both very professional in their own way, demanding and very strict on themselves. Both are very pleasant to deal with. For them as well as for me, mutual respect is of the utmost importance. Friendship matters more than the mere fact that we all have a job. This is crucial for all on our team.
My role further consists of analyzing other teams, discussing game situations, being a sparring partner for them, and finally pointing out different match situations.
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