Ivan Bencic, is the father of Swiss teen sensation Belinda Bencic. He’s also the main touring coach for her. Bencic had her breakout season last year which was highlighted by her Rogers Cup victory which included her semifinal victory over Serena Williams. Her father opened up on his coaching his daughter.
Coach Bencic Speaks
First off, Ivan Bencic talks about his coaching base with Melanie Molitor. Melanie Molitor is the mother and coach of Martina Hingis who helped coach her daughter to an Australian Open title at 16 years old. Molitor runs the tennis academy where Bencic regularly trains. “We have a base there in Zurich with Melanie when we aren’t on the tour and it’s possible to go there for feedback and to refresh,” Ivan Bencic said. “On the tour, I’m the coach of Belinda. I started coaching her when she was four or five. Melanie may come to tournaments again this year if she has time, but not in Australia.”
Next, Bencic talked about how some of the world’s top players were taught by family. “Most of the players who are at the top were coached by their parents. We remember Martina Hingis, Dinara Safina, Bernard Tomic and Jennifer Capriati, all were with their parents and some had support from other coaches at different times.”
Finally, he talked about the parent-child relationship and trying to keep a sense of normalcy between the two. “Sometimes it works, sometimes not,” he said. “But on the tour, it’s important the parents are with the young players because they sometimes start very early in the tour. Family is very important.”
Bencic To Kickoff 2016 In Brisbane
Belinda Bencic will open her 2016 campaign in Brisbane. She’s one of eight top 15 players in the field. Her opening match will come against Sara Errani, the world number 20. Should she win that opening match, her second round match should be much less challenging which will be against 17-year-old Aussie Priscilla Hon or a qualifier.