Daniel Vallverdu

Daniel Vallverdu
Country (sports)  Venezuela
Residence Barcelona, Spain
Born (1986-03-17) March 17, 1986
Valencia, Venezuela
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro 2004
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record 2-5
Career titles 0
Highest ranking No. 727 (August 8, 2005)
Doubles
Career record 4-2
Career titles 0
Highest ranking No. 746 (August 15, 2005)
Team competitions
Davis Cup SFAm (2005)

Daniel (Dani) Vallverdu (born March 17, 1986 in Valencia, Venezuela) is currently coaching Grigor Dimitrov [1] and is a former coach of Andy Murray [2] (2010–2014) and Tomáš Berdych (2014–2016).

Vallverdu and Murray had a very longstanding and successful partnership which led to many tournament wins, including an Olympic Gold medal in 2012 (Vallverdu was head coach for the British Olympic tennis team), and two Grand Slam wins: the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon[3] (Vallverdu was working alongside Ivan Lendl).

Under Vallverdu's guidance in May 2015, at the age of 29, Berdych reached his highest career singles ranking of No. 4 in the ATP Rankings.

Coaching history with Murray

Vallverdu met Andy Murray in the Sánchez-Casal Barcelona Tennis Academy when he was 15, where they were both training to become professional tennis players. The two quickly became best friends.

In June 2008, he became British tennis player Andy Murray's doubles partner for the 2008 Queen's Club Championships in London.

Vallverdu started working with Murray following his split with Miles Maclagan in 2010 and became The Scot's de facto coach after he parted company with Alex Corretja in March. He coached Murray, organised practice sessions and served as liaison with Darren Cahill and Sven Groeneveld. "Quiet and unassuming, Vallverdu scouts opponents and helps devise tactical plans. Despite his relative youth, he is known for his professionalism and in-depth knowledge of the game."[4]

Vallverdu worked actively alongside Ivan Lendl,[5] since Lendl joined Murray's team in 2012.[6] Vallverdu was also selected to be the head coach of the British men's tennis team for the London Olympics 2012, in which Murray won the Gold medal.[7]

Other memorable highlights of his coaching work with Murray and Lendl included when Murray won two Grand Slam titles, Wimbledon 2013[8] and the US Open in 2012.

Following a mutual split with Murray in November 2014, Vallverdu took on the head coaching job for Tomáš Berdych, who was at the time ranked World no. 7 who went on to achieve his highest career ranking of World no. 4 under Vallverdu. On May 16, 2016, Berdych and Vallverdu parted ways.

Tour career

Doubles

In June 2008, he became British tennis player Andy Murray's doubles partner for the 2008 Queen's Club Championships at Queens Club in London.

Davis Cup

Vallverdu has played for Venezuela in eight matches over six ties, including a semifinal appearance in Group I of the Americas Zone in 2005.

Educational background

Vallverdu graduated from the University of Miami in 2009 with a BA in International Marketing and Finance.[9]

During his time at the University of Miami, Vallverdu was captain of the university tennis team.

He received five all-American honors, was no. 3 in the nation in singles and no. 1 in the nation in doubles with teammate Carl Mikael Sundberg.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ubitennis.net/blog/2016/08/18/dani-vallverdu-explains-why-he-opted-to-coach-grigor-dimitrov-instead-of-del-potro/
  2. ↑ http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/tennis/article3811623.ece
  3. ↑ http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/tennis/article3811623.ece
  4. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/13982353
  5. ↑ http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Dani+Vallverdu/2012+French+Open+Day+Nine/sIGSme7fd4G
  6. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/andymurray/8404551/Andy-Murray-hoping-old-pals-act-with-new-coach-Dani-Vallverdu-will-rekindle-his-form.html
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  8. ↑ http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/tennis/article3811623.ece
  9. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/13982353
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