The ATP Coach of the Year has been named. This year the title has gone to Neville Goodwin, the former coach of South Africa’s Kevin Anderson.
Goodwin helped Anderson move up to the Top 20 on the back of an unlikely run to the US Open Final, the South African’s first. Anderson was beaten in straight sets by World No.1 Rafael Nadal but it was still a major accomplishment for a player who had started the year ranked No.74, finishing at No.16.
Goodwin and Anderson had worked together to see the big-server reach the Top for the first time in 2015, including reaching the US Open quarter-finals. This fine form and work was eventually curtailed by shoulder and ankle injuries that hampered Anderson throughout 2016, requiring surgery and extended time off tour.
The pair parted ways at the end of this season after Anderson’s early exit at the hands of Fernando Verdasco at the Paris-Bercy Masters. This ended any hopes that Anderson had of qualifying for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals in London.
Goodwin was up against a number of strong candidates for the award, including Ivan Ljubicic and Carlos Moya, the high-profile coaches of Grand Slam winning players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal respectively.
The ATP Coach of the Year Award was started in 2016, to reflect the significant impact that coaches have had over their charges in recent years. The inaugural recipient was Stan Wawrinka’s coach Magnus Norman after the Swede guided the Swiss to a third Grand Slam title in as many years. Wawrinka and Norman also parted ways at the end of the 2017 season.
