While some players often make frequent changes to the coaching staff, others look to maintain a constant team over the years. The Argentine star Francisco Cerundolo is among the latter, and his longtime partnership with a renowned coach is beginning to reap rewards. The 26-year-old is into the third round of the Australian Open after comfortable wins in the earlier two rounds. As he gears up to face Alex de Minaur tomorrow, his long-time partnership with an esteemed coach caught the eyes of the tennis world.

Cerundolo is currently coached by Kevin Konfederak, a former pro player from Argentina. Konfederak has been Cerundolo’s only coach since he turned pro and the two have been in a partnership since January 2022. Interestingly, the renowned coach has a degree in business with a concentration in marketing but his primary passion has always been tennis. As a result, he became a pro player before taking to coaching.

Soon after Konfederak took charge, Cerundolo won his maiden ATP title at the 2022 Sweden Open. Both Konfederak and Cerundolo hail from the same town, Buenos Aires. Under his aegis, Cerundolo reached a career-high ranking of Number 19 and also recorded three title victories. Further, Konfederak has seen massive improvements in Cerundolo’s game since he took charge as his coach.

During an interview, he said, “Fran has gained a lot of confidence and improved massively from playing with some top players during training”. He continued, “The young lad, after defeating some of these players during training, started believing more in himself.” Further, Konfederak also worked as an assistant coach of the Nebraska Men’s Tennis team during the early days of his coaching career.

Meanwhile, de Minaur is already wary of Cerundolo’s challenge as the two square off at the Australian Open. Ahead of their match, the Australian star showered some praise on his opponent.

Alex de Minaur on Francisco Cerundolo: ‘He’s got a lot firepower’

Cerundolo is like the traditional Argentine player who likes to hit the ball hard. As a result, if he’s able to curb the unforced errors, Cerundolo can become a difficult player to beat, which de Minaur acknowledged ahead of their match. As the Australian star readied to face the first-seeded player in this edition of the tournament, he heaped praise on Cerundolo, who is the 31st seed.

Alex de Minaur revealed, “He’s a very dangerous player, very tricky. He’s got a lot of firepower from the baseline with that forehand. He’s had some big scalps on tour. He’s not afraid to play some big matches. It’s going to be a battle. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a really tough one. I’ve got to be up for it from the very first point, bring that intensity, play some aggressive style of tennis, bring out a better version of myself, which I think I’m doing every day.”

Cerundolo has never made it beyond the third round at the Australian Open. Given the form he’s in, the Argentine star should pose a serious challenge against the home favorite to achieve his best result at the Australian Open.