Khachanov changes coach and regains confidence before his match with Alcaraz

Tomorrow, the name of Karen Khachanov will be in the news for the match he faces against Carlos Alcaraz in the first round of the ATP 500 in Vienna. But before we focus on the present, it is fair to review the most recent changes the Russian has made in these last months. To start, a new racquet and a new coach.

In an interview with the Russian media Championa, the Moscow tennis player explained the reasons that led him to make changes in his professional environment at 30 years old. After nearly a decade working with Vedran Martic, both decided to part ways by mutual agreement. The relationship had borne great fruits, including the Masters 1000 title in Paris in 2018, but Khachanov felt he needed new ideas to continue growing.

"Perhaps something had to change, I needed a new motivation, another person, new thoughts," Karen explained as he recalled how the decision matured during the US tour. The paradox is that, precisely with Martic, he reached the semifinals of the US Open, a result that confirmed he still has what it takes to compete with the best. Now it will be Andrey Chesnokov, former world number nine, who will accompany him during the tournaments in Vienna and Paris. For the moment, it is just a trial period that will serve to assess whether the collaboration can extend through 2027.

Karen Khachanov changes racquet to take another leap

The other important decision of Khachanov concerns his racquet. After experimenting for about a year and three months with a new prototype, the Russian returned to the Wilson model he had played with for almost his entire career since he was 19 years old. The change is not solely due to technical issues, as Khachanov himself acknowledged that he had reached a point of saturation, to the extent of feeling that the material did not allow him to execute naturally what he worked on in training. Returning to a familiar racquet provided him with an emotional and psychological boost that he considers essential.

"When you feel that you enjoy it, that you've returned to something that makes you feel good, that gives you a step forward," he explains in the interview. That is precisely the context in which he arrives at his next commitment against Alcaraz. The Spaniard represents a maximum challenge for a player looking to regain consistency and confidence, but Khachanov has enough experience to know that great matches are also built from small details.

In Vienna, he will have the opportunity to see to what extent the changes are beginning to bear fruit, the problem is that in the first turn, he faces a rival who completely dominates him in their head-to-head. With a new coach, old sensations, and a rival who forces you to strive for excellence. Khachanov has decided to rearrange the pieces; now it is time to prove on the court that the move is the right one.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Khachanov cambia de entrenador y recupera sensaciones antes de su duelo con Alcaraz