In a series of exclusive features for SuperSport.com, Grant Shub speaks to coach of Lloyd Harris, Anthony Harris, about his star pupil’s rise through the ranks and what lessons other players can take from current Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic.
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Having slipped to 140th on the ATP singles rankings, owing to injury and wrist surgery which resulted in a six-month layoff, South Africa’s top male tennis prospect Lloyd Harris will have to take the scenic route to play in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Harris, who reached a career-high ranking of No 31 in 2021, hasn't been offered a wildcard entry for the Australian Open.
He most recently played in a Challenger event in Canberra which served as a warm-up tournament.
As he had a match on 1 January, he was in bed on New Year’s Eve well before midnight and watched the fireworks on TV…
After a straight sets victory over Austrian Filip Misolic in the round of 32, Harris succumbed to Belgian David Goffin in straight sets in the round of 16.
Harris’s next assignment will be a first round qualifier on either Monday or Tuesday next week and he will have to win three matches to qualify for the main draw of the year’s first grand slam.
“Last year it was really difficult to get any kind of momentum,” Anthony Harris tells SuperSport.com from Melbourne.
“Post-wrist surgery, Lloyd started the year amazingly but then after the 2023 Australian Open, he got injured again and it was just stop-start.”
NEW FITNESS TRAINER ADDS ANOTHER GEAR
Harris was out with injury for another three months only to return and have an issue with a trapped nerve.
2023 proved to be a frustrating year for Team Harris, as they were unable to get more than six weeks of momentum going with their charge.
As such, it’s no surprise the primary focus is on Lloyd’s physical fitness in the embryonic stages of the new season.
Harris is working with a new fitness trainer in the form of Italian Matteo Ferrari.
He was with Lloyd, who is based in Dubai, to do pre-season and along with physio Karen Frye, it’s about conditioning Lloyd to compete consistently at a high level sans injury.
There is a sense of optimism for the new season but patience is paramount.
DECADE LONG JOURNEY FOR HARRIS SQUARED
Lloyd Harris, who joined the Anthony Harris Tennis Academy in 2014 at the age of 15, has come a long way with his coach who shares the selfsame surname but isn’t related.
“It’s now our 11th year together and it’s been a journey from the beginning. We played the ITF Juniors, went into the Futures and then the Challengers,” says Anthony Harris, reflecting on the path taken to reach the top echelon of the game.
“From Challengers, we got into the top-100 and then in 2021, Lloyd had a great year rising to world No 31.”
Harris says the pair's trajectory is a little different as not that many players and coaches stay together for more than a decade.
As a case in point, after three years together South African coach Wayne Ferreira and his player Frances Tiafoe agreed to part ways.
BABYSITTING NOT PART OF TOP-LEVEL COACHING
“My approach to coaching is that I’m not a baby-sitter,” says Harris, whose academy in the heart of Sea Point, Cape Town is supported by the MATCH (Make a Tennis Champion) Foundation.
“I’m better with players who want it and are going to do the work. In terms of my coaching style, I would say that I’m definitely more player-based.”
For Harris, it’s crucial his charge takes responsibility for what he does and in Lloyd he seems to have found the perfect foil.
“Lloyd is one of the most respected and liked players on tour,” he notes. “He’s a very special boy and is now foundation ambassador.”
Lloyd Harris, who is building from the base after a tough 2023, lists Roger Federer as his all-time favourite but greatly admires Novak Djokovic.
The Serb, who has been ranked No 1 for a record total of 404 weeks, is a beacon on tour for the other players owing to the way in which he combines the physical and mental aspects of the game.
DJOKOVIC IS THE MOST COMPLETE PLAYER
“Novak has definitely managed to keep himself at a physical level that very few players have been able to do,” says Harris, citing the world No 1 as a prime example of physical longevity at the age of 36.
“Novak’s exercise routine and nutrition allows him to be in the shape he needs to be but he also has a mentality that is very tough to beat.”
Djokovic won three of the four grand slams last season and there is talk this term of a potential golden slam.
“If Djokovic were to win all four majors it would be incredible,” says Harris.
“There is no question he can do it and he is definitely going to be someone you will have to beat to win this tournament. It’s no easy task at a slam over five sets.”
Djokovic most recently lost his singles tie against Australian Alex de Minaur at the United Cup but Harris feels it’ll have no bearing on his chances at the year’s first major.
“A team event, with singles and doubles, is a very different atmosphere but when it comes to the grand slam, it’s a whole different story for Novak,” Harris says confidently.
THE HAPPY SLAM IS ON THE HORIZON
The Australian Open, nicknamed the ‘Happy Slam’ owing to the enjoyment players and their teams derive, begins on 14 January and the Serb is still the bookmakers’ favourite.
Another man who is a mentality monster, Rafael Nadal, has returned to the tour after a 12-month injury-enforced absence.
His comeback ended in the quarterfinals at the Brisbane Open when he was beaten by hometown star Jordan Thompson.
Nadal showed glimpses of his ability but faces an anxious wait as to the extent of a leg injury.
“We know Rafa is a warrior mentally but the question with him is that he is suffering physically,” says Harris, who played for Zimbabwe.
“His secret is going to be whether he can keep his body in shape and, if he can stay healthy, you can never count him out.”
That sentence also speaks to Lloyd, who is intent on working his way back to the top.
***The Australian Open runs from 14 to 28 January and will be broadcast live on Your World of Champions. Lloyd Harris will play his first round qualifier on 8 or 9 January.