By Marc McGowan
They are the odd couple of Australian tennis.
Jordan Thompson and Chris O’Connell – two of the country’s 14-strong Wimbledon contingent – have thrived since turning their almost lifelong friendship forged playing as kids in Sydney into a working arrangement.
Jordan Thompson’s career has taken off since hiring Marinko Matosevic as a coach.Credit: Getty Images for LTA
But they also happen to be polar opposites, with O’Connell’s chilled, laidback nature and softly spoken ways contrasting with Thompson’s on-court blow-ups and willingness to speak his mind.
The first piece of the puzzle was Thompson parting ways two years ago with Peter Luczak.
He took three months figuring out how to replace Luczak because he wanted to find the “right fit” with his next coach. That person ended up being former world No.39 Marinko Matosevic, a man only those closest to him know properly.
What makes this relationship different is that Matosevic coaches both Thompson and O’Connell, which is normal for penny-pinching up-and-comers but highly unusual for top-100 players.
“Chris and I have been good mates since we were like seven, so sharing a coach is easy for us,” Thompson told this masthead.
“We played each other all the time in tournaments in Sydney as juniors, and we became pretty good friends after that. We get along well, we both like our footy [rugby league], we practice together in the off-season, and Marinko is out there helping both of us.
“It’s unique that guys in the top 100 have the same coach, but it works well. If Marinko can’t be there, we’ve got a physical trainer [Tonu Liiband], and I do some weeks with [ex-American player] Ryan Harrison as well.”
Matosevic carved out a good career for himself thanks, in large part, to an insatiable work ethic after being unranked as a junior. However, he was probably best known for deliriously rolling in the Roland-Garros clay after ending his grand slam drought at his 13th try.
There was also the time he deliberately knocked over the famously superstitious Rafael Nadal’s water bottles at a change of ends in an attempt to rattle him mid-match.
Matosevic even likened his mindset as a player to that of Nick Kyrgios in an interview with this masthead in 2015.
“He’s a showman,” Matosevic said of Kyrgios, who also speaks highly of him. “When he’s playing, he doesn’t want to just win – he wants to entertain the masses, and I think he seems to play his best that way ... [It is] kind of similar to me; [he] wears his emotions on his sleeve.”
Matosevic, originally from Dandenong North in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, has become an exceptional coach since cutting his teeth overseeing a tennis academy in Bali bankrolled by a Russian millionaire.
He managed to convince Thompson at Wimbledon last year that he had to dramatically change his playing style to have any hope against Novak Djokovic.
Thompson lost that second-round match in straight sets, but was highly competitive and his net-rushing gave Djokovic fits during the contest.
The decision to work with Matosevic has proven a raging success, with Thompson going from a ranking in the mid-80s to now being inside the top 40, including achieving his career high of No.32 in April this year.
O’Connell offered an insight into how the arrangement works at Roland-Garros only a few weeks ago, while revealing Matosevic the coach was typically “a lot more relaxed” than the “fiery” persona he showed as a player.
Chris O’Connell, pictured at this year’s Australian Open, has also thrived under Matosevic.Credit: Getty Images
“Marinko does a good job of keeping it separate. Jordan’s on court right now, so he’s solely focused on Jordan, but as soon as Jordan walks off the court, he’s focused on me,” O’Connell said.
“I think it’s good for Marinko as well. He doesn’t solely concentrate on you, and it’s a bit of a break [for him]. I think it’s good for him to balance it as well instead of so much focus on just the one player.”
The obvious question is how Matosevic would handle it if Thompson and O’Connell had to play one another, which happened in early 2022 but not since they became a team in December that year.
At that time, Matosevic was coaching only O’Connell, who reckons his coach would “just sit on the fence and enjoy the match” if that scenario plays out.
What appealed to both Thompson and O’Connell about Matosevic was how he eked every last drop out of himself as a player and persisted to the point he achieved his best results in his late 20s.
“I was definitely a late bloomer, and I didn’t make the top 100 until a couple of years ago,” O’Connell said.
“Marinko having the same experience, where he broke into the top 100 a bit later, definitely helped me and gave me confidence that I could do it – and I did do it. I want to push on to top 50 now and I still feel like I’m improving a lot.”
That mutual respect is what seems to be the key to why this unlikely trio clicks despite each of them being so different in so many ways.
“Chris probably says minimal words to everybody, but I can get some more words out of him, just because I’ve known him the longest on tour,” Thompson said.
“He’s a silent achiever who just goes about his business, and he’s constantly improving, so hats off to him.”
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