Wimbledon’s park-like feel counters the skyscrapers of Manhattan, where Kovacevic grew up, although he did play tennis in Central Park. He began working with Dante Bottini—who formerly guided another player compared to Federer, Grigor Dimitrov—this year. (Dimitrov beat Kovacevic at Roland Garros, one of three Top 10 opponents he has faced in his four Slam main-draw appearances.
Bottini said getting more experience is pivotal for Kovacevic, while also pinpointing other aspects of his charge’s game to address.
“The return side can be one of the areas to improve a lot,” said Bottini, who labeled Kovacevic a hard worker. “The slice and how to play certain points. I think the most is to be a little more organized in his head and, ‘I need to play this type of moment with a bit more decisions,’ or, ‘I cannot give him an easy mistake on this specific point.’ I think that’s the biggest part.
“We’ve been working since February or March, not that long, so I think it takes time for him to understand my philosophy and to start seeing everything on the tour because” of Kovacevic’s limited time in the Top 100 so far.
Kovacevic’s time at Wimbledon concluded Monday in a season providing many a lesson.
