Magnus Norman announced on Wednesday his decision to step down as coach to Stan Wawrinka, who continues his rehabilitation from knee surgery, after a four-year partnership due to personal reasons.

“After much thought I have decided to dedicate my future to my family,” said Norman. “With two young kids at home, now is the right time for me to be with them. I could not have had a better player to work with and this has been one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make.”

“I’m really honoured to have worked with Stan, who is a great tennis player, but more importantly a fantastic person. I want to thank the whole team behind Stan for all the work over the past four years. It’s been a teamwork and a privilege from the first day.”

Norman began to coach Wawrinka in April 2013, when Wawrinka was No. 17 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The former World No. 2 from Sweden helped Wawrinka to a 12-5 record in finals, including the 2014 Australian Open (d. Nadal), 2015 Roland Garros (d. Djokovic) and 2016 US Open (d. Djokovic) crown, plus one ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Federer).

Wawrinka said, “I would like to thank Magnus for the amazing four years we had together. I will always be grateful for the work and the time he spent on me to make me improve and become a three-time Grand Slam Champion. He was not only part of my team but also part of the family.

“For now, I’m focusing on my rehabilitation and I will take time to decide with my team the necessary next steps.”

The 32-year-old Wawrinka finished his 2017 season with a 26-11 match record, including one ATP World Tour title in Geneva (d. M. Zverev). He also reached the finals of the BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Federer), and at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal).

During a nine-season professional career, which ended due to hip and knee injuries, Norman’s peak year came in 2000 when he won the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Kuerten) and reached the Roland Garros final (l. to Kuerten). Overall, the Swede was 12-6 in tour-level finals.

Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic have both secured their places at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 12-19 November at The O2 in London. They will join World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, six-time champion Roger Federer, 20-year-old debutant Alexander Zverev and two-time qualifier Dominic Thiem in the elite eight-man field.

Dimitrov, the first Bulgarian to qualify for the prestigious season-ending tournament, and Cilic, who previously qualified in 2014 and 2016, clinched their berths today after fellow contender Sam Querrey lost in the first round of the Erste Bank Open 500 in Vienna.

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“Another amazing achievement for me,” said Cilic. “Third time in four years to make it to London. That was one of my goals at the beginning of the season with my team and I’m glad that we have accomplished it.”

In compiling the best season of his career, Dimitrov won his biggest title in August when he claimed his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (d. Kyrgios). The Bulgarian also put together a 16-1 record en route to the Australian Open semi-finals (l. to Nadal) and a pair of ATP World Tour 250 titles. He defeated three Top 10 players — Dominic Thiem, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori — in the final three rounds of the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. On home soil at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open, the 26-year-old lifted the trophy with victory over David Goffin in the final. Last week, he finished as runner-up to Juan Martin del Potro at the Intrum Stockholm Open.

Cilic claimed the ATP World Tour 250 crown at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open (d. Raonic) in April, and also reached two finals in London — one at Wimbledon (l. to Federer) and the other at the Aegon Championships at the Queen’s Club (l. to Lopez). The same week that 29-year-old Cilic won in Istanbul, he also became the third Croatian to record at least 400 match wins (also Goran Ivanisevic, Ivan Ljubicic). Currently at a career-high World No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Cilic has won at least one ATP World Tour title for 10 consecutive years. His 17 career titles are the second-most for a Croatian behind Ivanisevic with 22 crowns.

With just two weeks left of the regular ATP World Tour season, Goffin and Pablo Carreno Busta, who are both within the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Race To London, are leading the battle to claim the last two spots in London and qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

In the doubles field, Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo, Henri Kontinen/John Peers, Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau, Jamie Murray/Bruno Soares, Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan, Ryan Harrison/Michael Venus and Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut have already secured their places in the eight-team field. One team spot is left up for grabs, which will be decided at next week’s Rolex Paris Masters, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

The Nitto ATP Finals welcomes more than 250,000 fans to The O2 arena each year, as well as generating a global TV viewership of more than 100 million, as the ATP’s best eight singles players and doubles teams of the season compete over eight days at the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world.

Buoyed by his career-high ranking of No. 6 and playing on home soil, Austrian Dominic Thiem made a confident start to his campaign at the Erste Bank Open 500 in Vienna on Tuesday. The second seed at the ATP World Tour 500 tournament won his first meeting with 20-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 20 minutes.

The 24-year-old put just 44 per cent of first serves into play but was highly effective when he found his range, dropping just four points on his first delivery.

Chasing his second title of the year (Rio de Janeiro), Thiem broke Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Rublev four times to advance to a second-round meeting with veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet in a match-up that will delight one-handed backhand enthusiasts.

Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez dealt a blow to Kevin Anderson on Tuesday in the South African’s quest to qualify for next month’s Nitto ATP Finals. Garcia-Lopez held his nerve in the second set before triumphing 6-4, 6-4 for a place in the second round. The 34-year-old, who will next meet France’s Lucas Pouille (d. Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4), led by a set and 3-0 before seventh seed Anderson regrouped, but the South African was unable to convert two break point chances at 3-4, in the one-hour and 34-minute encounter.

Anderson remains on 2,470 points at No. 12 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, 135 points behind ninth-placed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, who sits in the final automatic qualification spot for the season finale, to be held at The O2 in the English capital from 12-19 November. Just two singles berths are left up for grabs in the final two weeks of the regular ATP World Tour season, which includes this week’s Swiss Indoors Basel and the Rolex Paris Masters, starting Monday.

Despite firing 26 aces, American Sam Querrey also missed a chance to press his London claims when he squandered four match points in a 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) loss to Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Querrey and Anderson will now pin their hopes on a big performance at next week’s Rolex Paris Masters in their final chance to qualify for the season finale.

Earlier in the day, Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund earned a confidence-boosting victory over David Ferrer, the 2015 champion from Spain, 6-3, 7-6(5) in one hour and 47 minutes. He’ll now face Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak, who overcame Thomas Fabbiano, a lucky loser from Italy, 7-6(4), 7-5 in one hour and 56 minutes.

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