Rusedski to look for another new coach

Greg Rusedski is looking for a new coach after parting from Brad Langevad yesterday. The pair decided not to renew their contract, Rusedski saying Langevad's bio-mechanical work to modify his serve and protect his body has been completed. Langevad, who intends to return to consultancy work, has offered to help Rusedski whenever necessary.

The British No 2 started working with Langevad, a London-based Australian, after spending time at Pat Cash's tennis academy in Queensland at the end of last season. Rusedski intends to retain the services of his fitness trainer, Machar Reid, another former member of the Cash academy. They are due to go to Rusedski's training base in Barcelona to prepare for next season. Rusedski year ended with a first-round defeat by Xavier Malisse, of Belgium, in the first round of the Masters Series tournament here at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy.

Rusedski, 28, has not been short of coaches in his career, his mentors having included Scott Brooke, Warren Jacques, Brian Teacher, Tony Pickard, Sven Groeneveld and Pat Cash.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov, his trip to Sydney for the Master Cup booked and a place in today's semi-finals of the Paris tournament assured, was entitled to be the most carefree player left in the draw. But a familiar question nagged at him: isn't it time he won one of the nine premier ATP tournaments known as the Masters Series?

"It's amazing that I have accomplished so many things in my professional tennis career, winning Grand Slams, winning the Olympic gold medal, but I haven't won a Masters Series event, being four times in the final," the 27-year-old Russian said. "And I can't explain why. Two weeks ago in Stuttgart I had probably my best opportunity so far to win a Masters Series event. But I came up short, losing to [Max Mirnyi] in the semis."

Having defeated Jiri Novak, of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-3, in the Paris quarter-finals yesterday, Kafelnikov is again primed for success; at least that is the theory. His semi-final opponent today is Andreas Vinciguerra, of Sweden, who recovered from a set and 5-2 down to defeat Sjeng Schalken, of the Netherlands, 2-6, 7-6, 7-6, on his sixth match point.

Kafelnikov has beaten Vinciguerra in their three previous matches. "You look at the paper, I'm favourite to win all the way," Kafelnikov said. "But it's never that easy. All the guys who come to Paris, one of the most prestigious of the nine tournaments, try to play as hard as the can. Sometimes it's difficult to deal with that pressure."

The four players to have beaten Kafelnikov in finals of Masters Series events are a quartet of varied talents: the solid-hitting Ukrainian, Andrei Medvedev, in Hamburg in 1994; the steady, unspectacular Thomas Enqvist, of Sweden, here in Paris in 1996; the big-serving Richard Krajicek in Stuttgart in 1998; and the stealthy Thomas Johansson, of Sweden, in Montreal in 1999,

"When I lost to those players they probably played their best tennis ever. They were on top of their game," Kafelnikov said. "You look at Medvedev in '94 in Hamburg. He was the best clay court player ever at that time, the best young prospect. Losing to Enqvist in '96, he was the player I had the most trouble with up until that time.

"Krajicek, in that tournament in '98, he was playing superbly, beating Sampras and so many other guys. Basically, he dominated me. Same thing with Johansson in '99 in Montreal. So it's not that I gave away the titles. The opponents played well. All I can say here is I feel like I'm playing better than those times. So, hopefully, I can go all the way and at least win one time."