If there were a tennis tee-shirt proclaiming ‘Been There, Done That’, Gunter Bresnik would surely wear it. Having spent three decades working as a coach, the Austrian has trained close to 30 players – including a nine-month stint with Boris Becker – in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. As coach to Dominic Thiem for the past 11 years, Bresnik talks to ATPWorldTour.com about the keys to planning a practice session in the first of a new Coaches’ Corner series.

What are the main differences between planning the structure of a practice session before a tournament or during a tournament?
Mainly, the practice sessions are before or after a match. Before a match you oversee a warm-up, ensure your player feels all of his shots and maybe draw his attention to a few pointers for the match. After the match, you basically need to pay most attention to the shots he hasn’t done so well, with focus on the next player and what is necessary for the match.

The intensity differs depending on whether you have a match the next day, whether it’s a three or five-setter or an indoors or outdoor tournament. It makes the difference in the physicality of the practice. The intensity in the off-season, when you’re not at tournaments, is much, much higher. Then, you target the shots he’s not doing so well immediately. I pay most attention to the shots he does best and does worst – nothing in between.

How quickly after a match do you get your player back onto a practice court?
Sometimes immediately, in order to get certain things out of the system. If a player loses a match, I never get them on a practice court afterwards. If he won a match, it is possible to practice, but they may need to eat something first or have a little rest. It won’t be intense, only 45 to 60 minutes in total.

If they have another match the next day, how long is the post-match practice session?
I am a bad example, because Dominic was practising very intensely in Nice last year after each of his matches for 90 minutes to two hours. The Tournament Director asked me, ‘Do you want him to lose early?’ He ended up winning the tournament. It’s not always stupid, but it depends on the player’s physicality and mental toughness. How much someone can take. There are a lot of players who worry about 15 minutes of training. I think if someone cannot handle half an hour or one hour of practice after a 90-minute match, then they are not ready for the Tour.

Do you have set times for each drill in practice, or do you adjust the drills based on things you’ve seen from a player?
Both answers are yes. I will set the time, then I will always adjust it depending on how well someone does it. If you conduct a passing shot drill, and someone hits a lot of passing shots in a row then I will stop early. If he isn’t able to do it technically, then I will adjust the drill. You cannot force the players to do things, as they are the people that employ me. If they don’t want to do it, they don’t do it. But it’s a question of how fast you can convince them to do it, because they need to do it to improve.

Do you focus on one main goal per practice or a variety of different areas?
I like to focus on a certain purpose, otherwise I do adjust if something is working really well or it doesn’t make sense. This is common sense.

How much of a say does a player have in planning a practice session?
It depends on the age of the player and also their intelligence and mental capacity. Usually, I have worked with players that have a big say.

When you were coaching Boris, what would he say – I want to do this, that?
It’s a big difference to work with a guy like Boris, particularly as I was a young and inexperienced coach at the time, and now. You had to approach things differently than I do today. In general, all the players who are Grand Slam winners know what to do and understand their needs better than the players who haven’t done that well. This is where you give the player more of a decision.

Tennis has changed in recent decades. Has that meant a change in the structure of the practice session?
I’ve been coaching for 30 years and never knowing how the game is going to change, you do a good job as a coach if you give the player a lot of opportunities. If you say today, we’re going to spin the ball two metres over the net as Mats Wilander did to win Roland Garros, then John McEnroe won Wimbledon and everyone started to take the ball earlier and chip and charge, it won’t work.

First of all you need to think about the needs of the game in general, then look at the abilities of the player. If you work with a 25 year old, then you don’t need to compromise as regards the needs of his tennis, as opposed to a 12 year old, who I would like to hit everything. The ideal player is Roger Federer, who understands the serve and volley game almost as much as the baseline game. It helped him this year winning the Australian Open, playing Mischa Zverev – who beat Andy Murray, and not as used to serve and volley play. Federer understood the serve and volley game, because he played against them early in his career.

The job of a coach is to give a player all the tools possible, if they are able to assimilate the information.

How have you stayed relevant, improved as a coach for 30 years?
Every single player improved me as a coach. Sometimes I benefitted more than the player, regarding my professional development. I’ve work with 27 Top 100 players – left-handers, right-handers, serve and volleyers, baseliners, quiet, charismatic guys.

With this knowledge and experience, it usually helps me to coach any player – when to talk to them, when not to say something, what tournaments to play, where they ought to be in their careers, where they should peak or be in one or two years’ time.

What advice are you offering Dominic right now?
I only want him to improve as a player. There are a lot of areas of his game that are far from his potential, which we are working on. We are not focusing on his [Emirates ATP] Rankings. I say it all the time, it doesn’t matter if he is No. 20 or No. 30, or still Top 10 at the end of the year, if he gets all the components of his game together, then he will play really well.

I can see his potential. If he puts everything together he has the potential to be a Grand Slam champion.

Qualifier Dusan Lajovic continued his solid run at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, scoring an impressive 6-3, 6-3 victory over wild card and #NextGenATP player Frances Tiafoe in the opening round.

The Serbian dropped just four points in racing to a 4-0 lead in the opening set and continued to hold the momentum, breaking Tiafoe twice more in the second set to secure the win in one hour and 17 minutes. Lajovic will now play No. 30 seed Feliciano Lopez.

Alexandr Dolgopolov kept up his recent run of form with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over Viktor Troicki. Last month’s Argentina Open champion broke the Serbian twice in each set to wrap up victory in 69 minutes. Next up for Dolgopolov is No. 29 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Fabio Fognini completed a miraculous 0-6, 7-5, 6-4 comeback over Konstantin Kravchuk. The Italian trailed 3-5 in the second set before going on a five-game run and also saved three break points serving at 3-4 in the final set. Fognini’s path only gets tougher when he plays seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round.

Read: Federer Unfazed By Difficult Indian Wells Draw

Thursday proved to be a successful day for qualifiers, with Vasek Pospisil continuing his resurgence by scoring a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3 win over Yen-Hsun Lu. The Canadian is rewarded for his efforts with a second-round clash against top seed Andy Murray.

Another qualifier, Yoshihito Nishioka, cruised through his opening test against wild card and #NextGenATP player Elias Ymer 6-4 6-1. The Japanese player went on a seven-game run from down 3-4 in the opening set. He will now play No. 19 seed Ivo Karlovic for a place in the last 32.

Other players to advance in first-round matches include Martin Klizan and Jeremy Chardy.

 Watch Full Match Replays

He’s hit every high there is in tennis, but in the past few months Novak Djokovic has also had to endure some of the lows. They say the only way is down once you reach the top, but the Serbian insisted on Thursday that he is as hungry as ever and determined to fight his way back to the pinnacle of the sport.

Djokovic was seemingly unstoppable as of June 2016. He finally achieved his lifelong dream of winning Roland Garros, completing the career Grand Slam, and had a healthy lead on his closest competitors in the Emirates ATP Rankings. But a shock third-round loss to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon led to a frustrating second half of the season.

By anyone else’s standards, it was still a hugely successful campaign for Djokovic, winning the Toronto crown and finishing runner-up at the US Open and ATP Finals. But the Serbian admitted he was not himself on court as he surrendered the No. 1 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings to Andy Murray at the end of the season.

“I don’t regret things in life,” said Djokovic, who was in a reflective mood at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. “Maybe I should have had a longer break after Roland Garros, to have more time to recharge emotionally in every aspect of my being. It didn’t happen, I kept on going and I don’t regret it because I believe there was a lesson to be learned from that.

“I think having those four or five months in the second half of 2016 was actually very important for me, for my growth as a player and as a human being. I learned a lot. I keep going. I’m obviously motivated to keep playing on a very high level.

“I had a couple of months where I wasn’t myself on the court and now I’m in a better place,” the Belgrade native continued. “I hope and believe that I’m heading in the right direction.”

Djokovic started 2017 on the right note, beating Murray in the Doha final. But despite a second-round exit to Denis Istomin at the Australian Open and defeat to Nick Kyrgios last week in Acapulco, Djokovic is satisfied he has the right feelings again on the tennis court.

“I feel much better in terms of my game, in terms of mental side, than I was some months ago,” said the 29 year old. “Generally, if I see myself with a broader perspective today and comparing myself to the end of last season, I’m a different player. I feel more comfortable, more fresh. I look forward to competing and I feel more confident on the court.

“I had to re-motivate myself and get back on track and I feel like right now it’s much better than it was.”

Recalling an analogy that he made 12 months ago at Indian Wells, where he likened himself to the wolf atop the hill, watching the pack approaching, Djokovic said the tables have turned now. “I’m one of the wolves going up now. I’m hungry. But I’m not the only one.

“If I’m not hungry to have success in this sport, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to the media and playing this tournament. I’ve achieved so much in my career that I’m obviously very content and I could easily stop today and say, ‘it’s been enough’. But I keep going because I have that drive in me still and I have that flair. As long as that’s present, I’ll keep on playing.”

There are few better places for Djokovic to rediscover his top form than the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where he has a 47-6 match record and has lifted the trophy five times. But the draw has done the three-time defending champion no favours. He finds himself in the ‘group of death’ – the bottom quarter of the draw, which also features Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. It’s a challenge the right-hander is embracing.

“I haven’t had too many draws like that,” admitted Djokovic, who starts his bid against either Kyle Edmund or Gastao Elias before a potential third-round clash with Juan Martin del Potro. “It’s quite amazing to see that many quality players in one section of the draw. It is what it is. Obviously Nadal and Federer are just starting to re-build their rankings. We’ll see what happens in the first few days of the tournament and we’ll have some very strong matches. This is probably one of the toughest draws we’ve had.

“It’s a very strong field. This is one of the strongest tournaments we have in the sport. Everyone wants to do well. The draw is something you have to accept and deal with.” 

Forget the stacked bottom half of the BNP Paribas Open singles draw for a second. How about the loaded doubles draw in Indian Wells?

In addition to former champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan and top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, the draw features a plethora of ATP World Tour singles stars. On the top half, three-time defending singles champion Novak Djokovic is pairing with countryman Viktor Troicki. They’ll face Indian Rohan Bopanna and Brasil Open singles champion Pablo Cuevas in the first round.

In the same quarter, World No. 6 Rafael Nadal is partnering with Aussie Bernard Tomic. Nadal/Tomic will meet Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain and Joao Sousa of Portugal in their opener.

On the bottom half, top singles seed Andy Murray will play with fellow Brit Daniel Evans. They will face fifth seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in the first round. Murray/Evans could meet Croatians Marin Cilic and Nikola Mektic in the second round.

World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and No. 13 Grigor Dimitrov should bring plenty of firepower to their first-round contest against Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi, who reached the Delray Beach Open final last month.

Less than three weeks ago, Belgian David Goffin and Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga played against each other during the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. But during the next two weeks, the two Top 15 players will be teammates. They’ll meet sixth seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram, who won the Delray Beach Open doubles title last month.

Tsonga, who won back-to-back singles titles at Rotterdam and Marseille in February, could meet another 2017 singles titlist on the doubles court in Indian Wells. Rio champion Dominic Thiem is partnering with German Philipp Kohlschreiber, whom Thiem beat last year in the Stuttgart final. Thiem/Kohlschrieber face the Zverev brothers – Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev – in the first round.

The most popular team in the doubles draw, though, might be one of the two wild card recipients: Argentine Juan Martin del Potro and Indian Leander Paes. The 43-year-old Paes is going for his 55^th career tour-level doubles title.

Top seeds Herbert/Mahut open against Americans John Isner/Jack Sock, and the second-seeded Bryan brothers face Aussie Nick Kyrgios and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic in the first round.

Read More: Murray, Like Fans, Marvels At Other Side Of Draw

Karen Khachanov claimed his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 victory on Thursday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden as he defeated Tommy Robredo 6-1, 7-5 in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open.

The #NextGenATP star is making his debut in Indian Wells and introduced himself to the Stadium 1 crowd in style, firing 12 aces and rallying from 5-3 down in the second set, saving a set point before prevailing in 73 minutes.

“It feels great. It’s my first time here in Indian Wells. I’ve heard a lot about this tournament and I’m really happy that I could get through to the second round. Today I had to be ready from the first point, concentrate 100 per cent and play my game,” Khachanov said. “It’s a big tournament, but I didn’t even think about it, that it’s my first Masters 1000 win. I’m just going step-by-step through the levels.”

The 20-year-old Khachanov is looking to kick start his 2017 campaign and ended a run of four successive first-round defeats. He next goes on to challenge 11^th seed David Goffin for the first time.

Third seed Stan Wawrinka will open his campaign against Paolo Lorenzi after the Italian dismissed Robin Haase 6-4, 6-3.

Read: Wawrinka Happy With Build Up

American teenager Reilly Opelka was left disappointed as he fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 against German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk. But fellow American Bjorn Fratangelo enjoyed success, cruising past Bernard Tomic 6-2, 6-2 to set a second-round clash with 13^th seed Tomas Berdych.

Amid all the hype surrounding Novak Djokovic’s section of the draw being chock full of former champions at the BNP Paribas Open this week, fourth seed Kei Nishikori finds himself the man in waiting. The Japanese star turns his pursuit of a maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title to the Californian desert and is seeded to meet whoever emerges from that heavy quarter.

Nishikori readily admits there are a mountain of obstacles to overcome before he would even turn his sights to that semi-final clash. And after mixed results on the Latin American clay leading in, he gave himself extra time to settle in ahead of the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event.

“I’m feeling very good,” Nishikori, a quarter-finalist at last year’s event, said. “I had a lot of time after Rio so I was working really hard. I had a couple more days here to adjust to this surface.

“It was a big decision not to play Memphis but I think it was a good experience. The condition was a little bit tough in South America. I thought it was a good two weeks even though I lost first round and lost a final. I hope I can do well here and Miami now.”

 Watch Full Match Replays

Nishikori believes he is gradually closing the gap on the Big Four’s dominance of the ATP Masters 1000 events. It is as much about mental inroads as technical.

“Those guys have a lot of experience,” he said. “They know how to raise their level in the match and we’ve got to fight for those tough moments.

“I’m working on a bit of everything. Tennis-wise I think my serve, strokes – I’ve still got to make some adjustments and mentally I have to be strong to win big tournaments like this.

“You usually have to play the tough guys second or third match and conditions are not that easy. These two tournaments are 1.5 weeks but you have to play tough opponents almost every day so you have to be really mentally and physically tough. To win the Masters you have to beat maybe Djokovic and Andy and some of those top 10 players.”

The fourth seed would likely meet sixth seed Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals with 14^th seed Lucas Pouille his seeded round of 16 opponent. He will meet either Daniel Evans or Dustin Brown in his first match.