Cilic’s coach now working with Kecmanovic

World No 33 Miomir Kecmanovic has a new coach in 42-year-old Ivan Cinkus, part of Marin Cilic’s team for a long time.

As Cilic’s injury will keep him away from the court for at least five to six months, the 2014 US Open champion won’t be needing Cinkus’s services for the time being.

In 2022, Kecmanovic worked with David Nalbandian and Johan Ortegren, but after a sub-par second half of the season, he has been seeking a change.

Cinkuc was a member of Cilic’s team for eight years – with one longer break – and the pair have won Cincinnati Masters in 2016 as well as playing two Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon 2017 and Australian Open 2018).

“Kecmanovic contacted me and asked me whether I wanted to come onboard. I told Marin, he said ’OK’ and that was it,” Cinkus told Croatian outlet Sportske novosti.

Starting next week, 23-year-old Kecmanovic and Cinkuc will practise together and their first tournament together is scheduled to be in Acapulco starting February 27th.

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“Miomir plays really well, but what he lacks a bit is a positive attitude on the court. For instance, in Dallas he lost a match he should have won (to Emiliano Gomez). He is a young player who needs a coach that will make him work hard and stay disciplined. From what I have gathered talking to him, with Nalbandian a lot of things were not defined,” Cinkus said.

Kecmanovic is due to play Marcos Giron in the quarter-finals of the Delray Beach Open. The Serbian has a lot of points to defend in the coming months, especially in Indian Wells and Miami, where he played in the quarter-finals in 2022.

“Everybody thinks that a former player just comes in with a magic wand, but it does not work that way,” Cinkus commented before adding: “The coach and a player need to go through certain things together and they need to be on the same page. I am not sure how it will go with Kecmanovic – perhaps I will ask for too much, perhaps he will, but what I am sure of is that he is a top 20 calibre player.”

Cinkus will work alongside Wayne Black, two-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, who Kecmanovic appointed at the start of the new season.

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