The Argentinian Martin Vilar (60 years old) became Diane Parry’s full-time coach this season. At her side, the 21-year-old Frenchwoman, former junior world number 1, reached the best ranking of her young career (49th in April). She comes to Roland-Garros with great ambitions, but without great physical certainties due to a recent injury. Her tournament begins against another Frenchwoman, Fiona Ferro.
On the sidelines of the Clarins Trophy (WTA 125), played at Lagardère Paris Racing, in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne, Martin Vilar, former player (-30) and coach of several players in the top 20, took the time to detail this new collaboration , just after his protégé’s resumption match (victory in three sets against Anastasia Zakharova).
Diane is recovering from an injury (thigh) that occurred in Rouen on April 17. How does she feel physically?
It had been a month since she was injured (interview conducted on May 15). She had played in Rome. But in her head, she wasn’t there. She wasn’t moving well. The doctors said she was cured. But she was afraid and couldn’t let go on the court. I knew she wasn’t going to play very well, especially at first. I just told her I wanted to see her start slow and finish really strong.
His opponent had a very good backhand. But Diane’s problem is that she’s used to playing a certain way. She starts the first point on the opponent’s backhand. But she can quickly be attacked in return. I told him to change, to put his first ball on the opponent’s forehand. You can be surprised by an opponent’s move, but you have to know how to adapt. Be able to think and find a solution on the court. She is not yet in the rhythm of the match. I think that at Roland, with the sequence of matches (Clarins, Strasbourg), it will be dangerous.
How did your collaboration begin?
Initially, I was not taken to coach Diane, but possibly other French players. I saw her and I immediately loved the way she played. His ranking was very poor (126th) compared to his actual level. I found it crazy and a shame. I was asked if I thought I could help him. I said, I’ll try. We started to share the work with Loïc Courteau (his previous coach), a really good coach. But things no longer worked very well between them. Loïc told me: “I see that I can’t help him and you, every time you talk to him, it works.” Loïc had a child, he had less time. I felt bad because I didn’t want to take his place.
For my part, I didn’t want to travel all year round but just 25-30 weeks per year. Finally, I signed up for the whole year. I will do what is necessary to ensure that Diane plays well. But I’m still 60 years old, my wife is going to kill me (laughs).
“At this level, it’s 60% in the head”
You’ve been working with Diane for a few months, what do you want to implement?
I was born in Argentina, I live in Spain. I have always worked in a different way. The French surely have the best technique in the world. But they are used to playing indoors. We (the Argentines and Spaniards) are more used to playing on difficult, heavy pitches, outdoors. In my opinion, tennis is 60% in the head, 25% physical and 15% the game. I try to put it in his head that you have to fight, not be afraid to fight.
At this level, all the girls hit the ball well and all are in good physical shape. The difference is in the way decisions are made. Good players are able to make decisions in tense moments, in a split second. You must therefore succeed in finding a special state of mind, staying focused, not talking. And Diane is getting better and better at doing it.
How far do you think she can go?
There is still a lot of work left but I am convinced that it will be very, very strong. When I started with her, I said to myself, if she makes it into the top 30, that will be very good. You must always be careful. But if she continues to work in the right direction, I can say pretty confidently that Diane will be top 10 in the world in some time. Its average level is very high, more and more. She must not be playing very well to be able to beat girls in the top 20. Now the average level of all the girls is quite high. Whereas before, the difference between very good and bad players was much greater.
Recently, she lost 6-3 in the third set against Maria Sakkari (in Indian Wells), top 10, Haddad Maia, world 11th (in Miami), and 6-4 in the third against Daria Kasatkina (Abu Dhabi). They are 27, 28 year old players who have several years of experience at this level. It still makes the difference in key moments.
I think Diane will be very strong. Before I met her, I was told that she was a bit lazy. But not at all. She’s a hard worker, she knows why she works. She learns and assimilates very quickly. You have to know why you are training, why you are doing a certain thing. You shouldn’t do training like that (it shows two players hitting the ball at full strength, without worrying about mistakes).
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“I try to give him a feeling of control”
What type of coach are you?
I’m a needy person. I’m not someone who intervenes during the match. Me, if someone talks to me during it, I can’t play. So we agreed that if she needed something, she would be the one to come to me. I always encourage him. Today (1st round at the Clarins Trophy), she was stuck on the backhand side and she asked me what to do. I told him to give more trajectories on the forehand side. And she won nine consecutive points. She adapted well. She keeps a good attitude, I ask her to never give up, to hang on even when it’s hard. Everything goes through that. That’s the key.
I try to give him a feeling of control, at the edge of the court. Tennis is a very demanding game so you have to try to control it, to master the situation. We talk about Nadal and his OCD but it gives him a feeling of control.
How do you feel that Diane is a different player?
Diane is a very talented girl, who is very touchy. She has an exceptional hand. She will get there in her own way, with her style of play. She tries to play well but sometimes you have to play fair rather than well to win.
It’s true that her one-handed backhand can put her in difficulty when returning her serve. If it is poorly placed, it lacks the strength to return. Unlike a two-handed backhand. But playing with one hand gives him a lot of possibilities. It’s more unpredictable. She can do drop shots and backhand slices, which she masters perfectly to bother her opponent. When she has time, she hurts a lot. His forehand hurts a lot too. Afterwards, we still have to work on the fly, in particular.
I like it. She is still very young obviously. She is a very intelligent girl, with a family who helps her a lot, who supports her. It’s a very good project. I understand his style of play very well, because I played the same way, with a one-handed backhand. I feel when she is dominated backhanded, that she must find time and step back to avoid losing. Shift or play along the line. I know, I experienced it because I also played with one hand.
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“I think she can more easily succeed at Wimbledon”
Do you see her winning a Grand Slam?
I think so but Wimbledon first. Of course, she plays very well on dirt. And she has her chance at Roland-Garros. But the pressure to win in Paris, being French, is enormous. Maybe with maturity and years she can get there. For now, I think she could find her way to Wimbledon more easily.
People don’t play too much on grass but it’s important. This year I wish she could prepare for Wimbledon. We will try to play Nottingham, Berlin if possible and Eastbourne. I want her to arrive in London well accustomed to the grass to try to do something. She has already passed three rounds. So with a good picture, she could have a shot to play.
With Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics, it arrives at a pivotal period…
This is a very important period. And that’s why his injury was bad. That stopped her in her tracks. She had played well in the Billie Jean King Cup. I didn’t want her to play in the Rouen tournament. I found her tired. And when you’re tired, nothing is the same… your supports…
They told me: “Yes but you know Martin, there are points for the Olympics, it’s important etc.” And finally, she gets hurt. I wanted to kill myself… I regretted not having said no.
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You must understand his personality well now. How is your relationship going?
I like Diane’s personality, what she exudes. She’s not always easy but she’s still very young. Off the court, we don’t spend too much time on points and calculations, because the more you talk, the more you disperse. You must first concentrate on your game. I take the example of Lendl who wanted to win so much. He skipped Roland-Garros to go on grass. But in the end, he didn’t win Wimbledon that year. Ons Jabeur also reached the final, but she could not play at 100%, because she was too overwhelmed by emotions (in 2023).
It’s also important to have a life on the side, to feel good. When we are in Rome or elsewhere, we try to find a good restaurant, we visit the city, otherwise we go crazy. We always think about tennis, but I am a private coach because I think much more about the human being than the player. Others think tennis, forehand, backhand. I focus on quality. If we work 4 or 5 hours a day, that’s fine with me. Then you live your life. You don’t have to go out clubbing until 5 a.m. but you can go out, go to the cinema, see friends. It is important. You have to read, it also helps raise the level of conversation, otherwise things go in circles. From this point of view, Diane is very open and curious.
