Awards
Russell wins 2024 ATP Awards Coach of the Year
American helped compatriot Fritz reach a career-high world ranking of fourth
December 11, 2024
ATP/Getty Images
Andy West
Michael Russell has been named the 2024 ATP Coach of the Year after helping compatriot Taylor Fritz reach new heights in multiple areas this season.
Fritz is ranked fourth in the PIF ATP Rankings, playing in his first Grand Slam final on home soil at the U.S. Open, reaching the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals and earning his highest year-end finish in the PIF ATP Rankings since James James Blake has been an American since finishing fourth in 2006. champion.
“It’s awesome. I’m honored,” Russell told ATPTour.com. “I’m honored to be selected by my fellow ATP coaches who are outstanding. It means a lot. We all work hard under the radar. We spend a lot of time putting the players in the best position and maximizing their talents. So it’s a pleasure I feel very humbled and honored to be truly recognized.
Russell, who himself was ranked 60th in the PIF ATP Rankings, began working with Fritz at the end of 2021. Er can now reflect on another outstanding season for Fritz with a 53-23 record.
“It’s very satisfying,” Russell said when asked about Fritz’s accomplishments this year. “We always have process goals that are just to keep improving everything and getting stronger on the court, off the court, Being more explosive and trying to improve my game but it’s really rewarding to get those great results and be in the top 5 this year – after James Blake. ’s first U.S. year-end fourth place – this is a great company and hopefully we can continue to push the envelope and strive to achieve even higher results in 2025, exceeding.
While achievements like reaching the U.S. Open final grab the headlines, Russell believes the most important aspects of his job are the less “obvious” day-to-day tasks that he believes can help Fritz achieve greater success.
“I’m definitely more focused on process-oriented goals, just making sure Taylor puts in more work in the gym, is faster on the court and becomes a more complete player,” Russell said. “I think the results will speak for themselves and the results will come. This has been a constant focus of mine since we first worked together at the end of 2021.
“We had a really good synergy and it’s been pretty much a steady climb up the rankings since then. I think that’s just a testament to how hard we continue to work and how he continues to improve.
Russell attributes part of the reason he became a coach to top-five stars to his wife, Lily, who believed Russell’s experience as an ATP Tour player and superior tennis IQ could be put to good use after he stopped competing. .
“After retiring in 2015, I started coaching High Performance in Houston,” Russell explained. “My wife, who is part of the player support team and is obviously a huge supporter of mine, urged me to delve into professional coaching as I have a wealth of experience, almost a ‘PhD’ in tennis!
“That’s when I started working with USTA Player Development, and that’s when I first started working with Taylor for a few weeks a year. We just had really good synergy and communication. So when When the opportunity came up for Taylor to look for a full-time coach, it was a natural fit for me to step into that role and it has been a very good team ever since.
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Russell on the practice court with Fritz at the 2023 U.S. Open. Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.
While Russell has now been helping Fritz reach new heights for three seasons, he sees 2024 as a big year for his charge as he familiarizes himself with some of the biggest events in tennis . For Russell, those novel experiences also gave him the opportunity to learn to be a coach.
“I just think it’s important for players to continue to have that belief when they get to the bigger stage and Taylor is about to get there,” he said. “He had a very genuine battle in the semifinals of the U.S. Open, and it was a quick transition from playing late at night to playing in the daytime on Sunday. So it was tricky, it was a learning experience. Experience, to really try to recover as quickly as possible, and that’s what we did.
“But I think the most important thing is that just through these experiences, players gain more confidence and don’t have self-doubt. It’s a guarantee that they belong and know how to stay calm, collected and confident in these situations. I It’s his job to make sure the player feels that way and that he’s ready strategically, tactically and physically to play in these games.
