The coaching changes that could define the 2027 tennis season: Five partnerships to watch

Coaches play a pivotal part in tennis, and change is regular. This can make or break many tennis players' careers, with the right partnership very likely bringing out the best of a player. With the 2026 season heading towards a sudden halt, many players are already looking towards 2027 with coaching alterations set to occur.

At the end of 2025, the big news coming from the off-season was Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero. He oversaw much of Alcaraz’s early tennis career, watching him as he took the tennis world by storm.

This proves that a successful partnership between player and coach is hugely important. But change is inevitable, and it is fascinating to see the difference it can make. Weeks after splitting, Alcaraz won the Australian Open. He had found a coaching team that was right for him. Easier said than done.

Heading into 2027, there are some big names who will be looking for a seamless transition. With there being just a handful of events left, the off-season provides a great chance to find what works for them and build that crucial relationship. So much focus is on the tennis players, but behind them the coaches play their part.

It was Alcaraz changing last year, and it looks to be Jannik Sinner’s turn. The Italian has not featured on the ATP Tour since winning Wimbledon due to injury and has cancelled his 2026 plans. He is focusing on returning to a strong position, and change is in the air. Darren Cahill, a loyal servant from July 2022, will leave his position at the end of the year, and already a replacement is lined up in the form of Magnus Norman.

Sinner is one of the best tennis talents in the world and can practically choose whoever he wants. A former World No.2, he guided Stan Wawrinka to his three Grand Slam titles. That is significant. For a player to win the biggest titles while the ‘Big Three’ were in their pomp while successfully doing so on a variety of different surfaces is a great thing to have on the CV.

However, he will not be the only coach. Simone Vagnozzi will continue to work his magic alongside the five-time Grand Slam champion. The partnership he had with Cahill was a hugely effective one with both of them sticking to their roles in a fruitful team dynamic. He would focus on Sinner’s technical and tactical game while Cahill was tasked with the mental and emotional side. How Vagnozzi and Norman will work together in this team environment will be interesting with their responsibilities while not trading conflicting ideas.

Norman is not in to boost Sinner’s results. They speak for themselves, having lost just three matches in 2026, albeit he only played half of the season. It is more about adding another perspective, more knowledge and experience. The pressure is high, being alongside a player with such high calibre and big shoes to fill. It is not him replacing Cahill; instead, he is taking his place after announcing his retirement. His expertise will come in handy with such tasks as that transition to clay and Roland Garros. He already coached a Roland Garros champion; with that Grand Slam, the only one Sinner has not collected. That could prove to be the winning combination needed for the 25-year-old to finally complete the career Grand Slam.

After a fine 2025 season that propelled him back among the elite, 2026 seemed to be continuing that trend for Felix Auger-Aliassime. It has, however, not worked out like that. Injuries and poor form have led him to drop out of the top five and not make it to the ATP Finals for the second year running. To fix this lacklustre period, a coaching change is in the air.

Ahead of the Shanghai Masters, Ivan Ljubicic was named his right-hand man. It was a brief introduction as the Canadian retired in the last-16, subsequently ending his season. There is no doubt that Auger-Aliassime is a very capable player who can challenge the best in the world, but the consistency at the highest level needs work. That is where Ljubicic comes in.

Most notable for coaching Roger Federer from 2016 to his retirement in 2022, he oversaw the Swiss win three major titles and return to World No.1. He also coached fellow Canadian Milos Raonic, complimenting that big serve weapon with an aggressive style of play he was known for in his playing days. This valuable experience and know-how can prove pivotal to help Auger-Aliassime develop his game while improving his strong points in his game.

Auger-Aliassime will be forced to start almost from fresh in 2026. He will lose a lot of points from last year’s indoor hardcourt swing where he won the European Open and reached the final of the Paris Masters. The positive in missing these events is that he and Ljubicic can have time to bond away from the court and figure out a game plan to return rejuvenated Down Under.

This is the big question that needs answering. Auger-Aliassime has reached a career high of fourth in the world and reached two Grand Slam semi-finals. Still without a major or Masters 1000 title, this is Ljubicic’s next aim, to get him winning on the big stage. He has a great foundation to work with; it is all about maximising that potential and getting the absolute best out of Auger-Aliassime and hoping that it shows itself.

For two years now Iga Swiatek has not consistently produced the world class tennis once synonymous with her. Aside from a Wimbledon title and a couple of WTA 100 successes, her career has stalled, and missing out on the WTA Finals shows how far down the pecking order she has gone.

She made a bold decision ahead of the clay swing to part ways with Wim Fissette, setting her sights to Francisco Roig. A former member of Rafael Nadal’s team, the Spaniard is full of tennis knowledge and experience that a desperate Swiatek needs. It is obvious that their partnership is a process with signs of Swiatek’s best game occurring from time to time. However, there is work to do.

It is not just tactical changes Swiatek needs but an added confidence boost. More variety is needed to be implemented to make the Pole less predictable and subsequently vulnerable at times on court. She needs to find that spark on court, dictating more points and controlling contests on her terms. When she does, that prior form is clear to see. The consistency is the huge troubling factor. It can range from match to match or tournament to tournament with these differing outcomes a worrying trend.

For Swiatek, there is only one place that she will be satisfied to be at: on top. Her expectations still remain as high as they ever were, winning Grand Slam and WTA 1000 tournaments. It is Roig’s responsibility to conjure up that winning equation for Swiatek to implement in her game heading to 2027. Crucial times ahead for the pair of them, with Swiatek ending her season early. Two months of hard work and precise planning will be undergone. If someone with the calibre of Roig cannot get the best out of the six-time Grand Slam champion, then it will be very hard to predict what is next for her.

While Swiatek has had a chance to implement Roig’s ideas in competition, that has not been the case of Emma Raducanu. When there are conversations over coaches, the Brit is not normally far away from them as she looks to change tactics and revert back to an old friend in the hope of getting her tennis career back on track amid a tumultuous 2026 campaign.

There is an obvious argument for why Andrew Richardson is the man for the role. He guided Raducanu into stardom at the 2021 US Open as she went through the qualifying rounds all the way to Grand Slam glory without even dropping a set. Raducanu made the decision to part ways later for a more recognised name as she rose up the ranks, but her career has not gone smoothly since, resulting in Richardson returning.

Inevitably, the benchmark for their comparison is the US Open. Raducanu cannot meet those expectations. Ranked outside the top 100 with no tennis played since Queen’s, she has barely had a chance to strut her stuff on court.

It feels like Raducanu is going back to basics with this decision. After chopping and changing through so many different profiles, the 23-year-old has opted to revert back to a name she is used to while the proven factor is an added incentive. Already there are signs that she is back on track. Her last tournament, at Queen’s, resulted in a run to the final where she played some brilliant tennis on home soil.

Richardson has the benefit when it comes to coaching Raducanu in the fact that he already knows the basics surrounding her game style and the foundation to build off. There is no need to transform her game, just refining the tactical aspects of her game and continuing to work to her attacking strengths. Added to that, he will need to find a way to unlock the consistency that Raducanu has struggled with throughout her career. 2027 is not going to be a year where she regularly challenges and wins all the big tournaments. It is more about finding a stable foundation and building up a solid string of results.

Back in June, Stefanos Tsitsipas had fallen to 88th in the world. He was desperately struggling for results and form, parting ways with his father despite previous success. The two-time Grand Slam finalist is not giving up on his dreams of once again competing with the best, and the process to return to the upper echelons of the ATP Tour has taken a positive turn in recent times.

To be with a coach for so long and to change is always hard, but for it to be your father is another matter altogether. Their turbulent relationship began in his childhood, but his breaking point had finally come. It is one thing for his form to fall off a cliff, but another for his family relations on the brink of tatters.

The appointment of Thomas Perrin, with Patrick Mouratoglou overseeing the coaching setup, is a fresh start for Tsitsipas, and has proved to be a good one so far. He won the Swiss Open, reached the last-16 of the US Open and a recent semi-final at the Almaty Open show that he is going in the right direction with some more consistent results. Not the finished product, but it is a start.

After years of drama in his personal life and with his father, maybe the first step was to get the Greek back focusing on tennis in a calmer atmosphere with new targets. It is never easy to stay at the highest level in any sport. Tsitsipas was touted to challenge for Grand Slam titles on a regular basis, but one point earlier this year was heading for a one-way ticket outside the top 100.

The bigger question and picture in this are if Tsitsipas can reach those glittering heights, and if it will be with Perrin. He is back enjoying tennis and reaping the rewards with some good stuff being showcased. It is a substantial change, but a positive one with him currently ranked just outside the top 32. 2027 is another chance for him to fire back up the pecking order, and will be a fascinating story that will be well-documented.