Cameron Norrie’s coach, Facundo Lugones, wins ATP Coach of the Year award

Ayanda Frances Felem
Cameron Norrie with the BNP Paribas Open trophy
Cameron Norrie with the BNP Paribas Open trophy

Former Argentine tennis player Facundo Lugones, who guided Cameron Norrie to a career-high in the ATP Rankings, has been named ATP 2021 Coach of the Year.

Lugones’ journey with Norrie began in 2017 at Texas Christian University, where they were team-mates and the Argentine was a senior when Norrie was a freshman.

He has been voted Coach of the Year in the 2021 ATP Awards for his efforts in helping the British No 1 to the best season of his career.

The Briton won his first two ATP Tour titles, including an ATP Masters 1000 crown at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, and reached a high of No 12 in the ATP Rankings.

“I’m incredibly happy. I never thought I could win this award, it’s surreal,” Lugones said.

“But that’s the beauty of the sport, that anything could happen. I just want to also thank my team, Julian [Romero] and Vasek [Jursik], they work incredibly hard throughout the year to get Cam ready, and also Devin Bowen and James Trotman since day one, helping the whole team.

“Most importantly I want to thank Cam for being an animal and getting through all those tough matches that ended up getting me the award.”

The Argentine added that he never thought he would win such a big award.

“I enjoyed my degree in Economics and all that, but I didn’t feel a passion. I thought if I could get really good at this, I could have a job that I really, really love,” he continued.

“It came down to what I like most: tennis or finance? The rest you will have to find a way to get paid well, do the things you like. But at the end of the day it came down to what I like most and it was a no-brainer.”

Related Articles