Bernard Tomic hires Croatian Velimir Zovko as second coach

Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic has reportedly hired Croatian Velimir Zovko as second coach who will be working with his father, John Tomic. John has been suspended for a year for assaulting his son’s former hitting partner, Thomas Drouet, back in May and is banned from attending tournaments.

Zovko has worked with WTA players Jelena Kostanic and Polina Leykina. Former world number three Ivan Ljubicic complimented the move saying that Zovko is a “hard working coach” and a “great guy.”

According to The Melbourne Age, Zovko is currently in Melbourne and working with Bernard prepare for the 2014 season. The Australian tennis star’s father was reportedly the one who hired Zovko.

“Obviously he’s from Croatia, he speaks my language, and it’s very important for me to have a good communication, someone that understands me, my background, because it’s not easy — I’m a difficult sort of guy,” Tomic said. “Obviously my dad’s gonna be still involved; I’ll sort of have two coaches and they’re gonna work through it with me until my dad’s ban [ends] in May. Until then, I’m going to try with this new coach, with my dad on his side, both of them helping.

“I know not many players have two coaches, it’s something new for me, but I’m gonna try and see how that goes, and then we’ll see how it unfolds after May. If not, [I can] go back to my own formula.”

Zovko is reportedly on for a six-month contract.