World No.41 Jiri Vesely has confirmed that he has hired the former long-term coach of Tomas Berdych, Tomas Krupa.
Krupa has worked with Czech players throughout his coaching career. He spent time with Radek Stepanek before working with Berdych for five years between 2009-2014, guiding him to his first and so far only Grand Slam final at the 2010 Wimbledon championships. This year he has spent time with Barbora Strycova, who is currently ranked 41st in the WTA rankings.
During an interview with tennis-arena.cz, Vesely has spoken about why he has chosen to work with Krupa.
“The goal as a player is to reach similar results to those with whom Tomas Krupa has worked with”. Vesely said.
“I have dreams and goals and I want to do everything we can to get them implemented. That’s why I hired him . I believe that I will get information that will make me a better player”.
Vesely, a former junior world No.1, achieved a career ranking high of 35 in April this year. In 2015 the 22-year-old has reached two ATP finals, claiming the biggest title of his career at the Heineken Open in Auckland at the start of the year. He also successfully defended his title at the UniCredit Czech Open in Prague, a Challenger event. The Czech reflected on his season in what has been a roller-coaster year.
“I experienced the joy of Auckland and Bucharest, where I played in the finals, but I have also suffered and experienced the bitter moments, like when I lost six times in the first round”. He said.
The Czech has also spoken about an undisclosed illness that affected him during the end of the year. During the US Open and Davis Cup, Vesely experienced trouble serving as he was unable to turn his head in one direction. He underwent an MRI on the issue, but it came back clear, leading to the conclusion that he picked up the illness in America. During his three most recent tournaments, Vesely said that the issue has resulted in him experiencing trouble with his serve.
Despite the mixed year, Vesely still has the belief that he can be amongst the best in the world. He said that if he puts in the work, he will one day reach the top 10 in the world. Besides the new addition of Krupa, Vesely also confirmed that he currently has no plans to change any other aspect of his coaching team. The 22-year-old will now go on holiday before preparing for the 2016 season.
Highlights of Jiri Vesely claiming his first ATP title at the 2015 Heineken Open in New Zealand.
