Tennis Australia (TA) have hired former world top ten Spaniard Felix Mantilla to fast track the development of its clay court players. The organization also announced the addition of a Barcelona-based clay court facility to its Canberra and London training bases for elite Australian athletes.Former world top-10 professional Mantilla, aged 33, had been recruited on a full-time basis to work and travel with several of Australia’s leading younger players to develop their clay court skills.
TA director of tennis Craig Tiley said the Spanish approach to tennis is one of the most respected in the world as it yielded 21 of the current top 100 players in the world, including eight in the men’s top 50, five of those in the top 20, two of those in the top five, headed up by Rafael Nadal. The Spanish women finished runner-up in this year’s Fed Cup.
“For a couple of years now we have been ramping up our use of clay courts, clay court techniques and knowledge as major training tools for our developing players,” Tiley said in a statement.
“It is fair to say that this announcement is another great step for our player development program.”Tiley said Mantilla would bring world-class clay court coaching experience to aspiring Australian tennis stars.
“The expertise Felix will bring to our players will be world class. This is no part-time hobby for him,” he said.
“He has given an unequivocal, unconditional full-time commitment and will travel with several of our top younger players.”
Since finishing his playing career Mantilla has forged an impressive reputation among the international coaching fraternity for his work with some of the top Spanish juniors, Tiley said.Mantilla reached the semi-finals of the 1998 French Open and won 10 tour titles in an injury-curtailed career.
TA said Mantilla would be based in Barcelona and was passionate about working with the Australians.
“I wanted the job as it was a full-time position and I know that’s what it takes to develop a young player,” Mantilla said in the statement.
“After talking to Craig Tiley and Brent Larkham (AIS pro tour program head coach) I am convinced ,a href=’http://www.resultsfromtennis.com’>Tennis Australia has an excellent and highly-professional program which will ensure success.”
TA said Mantilla would be primarily based at the new training facility in Barcelona and would start next week under head coach Larkham.
