Federer's coach Annacone quits LTA role to avoid conflict of interest

(GETTY IMAGES)

Paul Annacone, the Lawn Tennis Association's head coach of men's tennis, resigned yesterday in order to avoid a possible conflict of interests following his agreement to join Roger Federer's coaching team.

Annacone's contract, which covered 30 weeks of the year, was due to expire in November, but the LTA initially said it was happy for him to fit in his work with Federer around his remaining commitments. He was here helping the Britons attempting to qualify for the US Open but has since been working with Federer.

However, the potential scenario of an LTA employee trying to plot the defeat of a British player – Andy Murray, who was due to play Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round last night, could meet Federer in the final – prompted a rethink.

Steven Martens, the LTA's player director, said: "Paul was always going to be moving on in November but we were aware we would need to keep it under constant review to avoid any potential conflict of interest."