Awards
Russell wins Coach of the 12 months within the 2024 ATP Awards
American helped his countryman Fritz to career-high World No. 4
December 11, 2024
ATP/Getty Photos
By Andy West
Michael Russell has been voted Coach of the 12 months within the 2024 ATP Awards after serving to his countryman Taylor Fritz tread new floor on a number of fronts this season.
The No. 4 within the PIF ATP Rankings, Fritz competed in his maiden Grand Slam last on residence soil on the US Open, reached the championship match on the Nitto ATP Finals, and earned the best year-end end within the PIF ATP Rankings by an American since James Blake additionally completed No. 4 in 2006. The 27-year-old Fritz additionally lifted ATP 250 titles in Delray Seaside and Eastbourne this yr.
“It is superb. I am honoured,” Russell advised ATPTour.com. “I am humbled to be chosen by my fellow stellar ATP coaches. It means rather a lot. All of us work so laborious beneath the radar. We spend a variety of hours working for the gamers to be in the most effective place doable and to maximise their expertise. So it is good to actually be recognised. And I am very humbled and honoured.”
What a yr it was for @MRusselltennis 🙌
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— ATP Tour (@atptour) December 11, 2024
Himself a former No. 60 within the PIF ATP Rankings, Russell started working with Fritz in late 2021. In 2022, he helped the American carry his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title and crack the Prime 10 for the primary time, and Russell can now replicate on one other stellar season during which Fritz racked up a 53-23 document.
“That is very satisfying,” mentioned Russell, when requested about Fritz’s achievements this yr. “We all the time have course of objectives, and people are simply to maintain enhancing all the pieces and getting stronger and extra explosive on the court docket, off the court docket, working in your recreation. However to have the outcomes objectives is admittedly fulfilling. To have these stellar outcomes and end the yr within the Prime 5 — the primary American year-end No. 4 since James Blake — it is nice firm to be in and hopefully we maintain pushing the envelope and seeking to attempt even greater, for 2025 and past.”
Whereas it’s achievements like reaching the US Open last that make headlines, Russell considers an important side of his job to be the much less ‘apparent’ day-to-day work that he believes may also help Fritz obtain better success.
“I’m undoubtedly extra targeted on the process-oriented objectives and simply ensuring Taylor’s getting extra work within the health club and quicker on court docket, and simply changing into extra of an entire participant throughout,” mentioned Russell. “I believe the outcomes will converse for themselves and they’re going to come. That is been a spotlight that I have been on because the starting, since we first began working collectively on the finish of 2021.
“We have had actually good synergy, and it has been virtually a gradual climb up the rankings since then. I believe it is only a testomony to continued work that we have accomplished, and he is continued to enhance.”
Russell partly attributes his rise to changing into coach of a Prime 5 star to his spouse, Lilly, who believed his experiences as a participant on the ATP Tour and his glorious tennis IQ may very well be put to good use after he stopped competing.
“After I retired from taking part in in 2015, I began teaching Excessive Efficiency right here in Houston,” defined Russell. “My spouse, who is part of the participant assist workforce, and clearly a giant supporter of me, urged me to delve into skilled teaching, as a result of I had a lot expertise, virtually ‘a PhD’ in tennis!
“That is once I began working with USTA Participant Growth, and it is once I first began working with Taylor just a few weeks a yr. We simply had actually good synergy and communication. So then, when the chance got here for Taylor, searching for a full-time coach, it was a pure match for me to step into that position, and it has been a very good workforce ever since.”
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Russell on the observe court docket with Fritz on the 2023 US Open. Photograph Credit score: Matthew Stockman/Getty Photos.
Whereas Russell has now been serving to Fritz hit new heights for 3 seasons, he feels 2024 was an essential one for his cost when it comes to familiarising himself with being a part of among the largest events in tennis. For Russell, these novel experiences additionally gave him the prospect to be taught as a coach.
“I simply assume it is essential for the participant to proceed to have that perception once they’re within the greater levels and Taylor’s getting there,” he mentioned. “He had a very heartfelt battle within the semi-finals on the US Open, and it was sort of a fast turnaround for the ultimate coming from the late-night match to play the day match on Sunday. In order that’s difficult, and that is sort of a studying expertise to actually strive the most effective you’ll be able to to recuperate as quickly as you’ll be able to, which we did.
“However I believe the principle factor is, simply by being in these experiences, the participant has extra confidence, that self-doubt is not there. It is the reassurance that they belong and figuring out easy methods to maintain calm and poised and assured in these conditions. My job, it is to guarantee that the participant feels that method and he is ready strategically and tactically and bodily stepping into to these matches.”
