José "Pepe" Imaz Ruiz (born 30 May 1974 in Arnedo) is a tennis coach and former professional tennis player from Spain.[2][3]
| Country (sports) |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 May 1974 Arnedo, Spain[1] |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Turned pro | 1995 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Prize money | $114,053 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 3-6 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 146 (11 May 1998) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 2R (1998) |
| Wimbledon | Q1 (1994) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 2-6 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 167 (22 Apr 1996) |
Playing career edit
Imaz made his debut on the ATP Tour at the 1995 Austrian Open.[4] He lost to Sergi Bruguera in the second round, having earlier beaten Christian Miniussi.[4]
His most noteworthy performance came in the 1998 French Open, the only Grand Slam of his career.[4] The Spaniard had a five set opening round win over Jean-Baptiste Perlant.[4] He then lost in straight sets to eventual champion Carlos Moyá, but would come close to winning the second set tiebreak, which lasted for 30 points, and in which he blew several set points.[4][5]
Coaching career edit
Imaz's tennis school is based at Marbella's Puente Romano resort. The school preaches a philosophy of Amor y Paz (Love and Peace) as the overriding factors when coaching tennis, in which he uses meditation and the power of lengthy hugs. In 2013, then professional tennis player Marko Djokovic used Imaz's methodologies to help alleviate symptoms of his depression. In 2016, post-Novak Djokovic's win at the French Open, Imaz became part of Novak's support team from Wimbledon onwards.[6] In April 2018, Djokovic stopped working with him, and also announced the end of his "cooperation" with Radek Štěpánek and Andre Agassi.[7] As of August 2018, Djokovic and Imaz were close friends.[8][9]
ATP Challenger Tour finals edit
Doubles: (2-3) edit
| Result | No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 1993 | Seville, Spain | Clay | Emilio Benfele Álvarez
|
 Steve Campbell John Yancey
|
6–7, 6–1, 6–2 |
| Win | 2. | 1994 | Seville, Spain | Clay | Emilio Benfele Álvarez
|
 Patrick Baur Torben Theine
|
6–1, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1. | 1995 | Scheveningen, Netherlands | Clay | Emilio Benfele Álvarez
|
 Eyal Ran Andrei Pavel
|
4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2. | 1995 | Graz, Austria | Clay | Emilio Benfele Álvarez
|
 Pablo Albano Vojtěch Flégl
|
4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 3. | 1997 | Seville, Spain | Clay | Emilio Benfele Álvarez
|
 Tuomas Ketola Michael Kohlmann
|
6–4, 1–6, 3–6 |
References edit
- ^ "Pepe Imaz: "Djokovic tiene amor, respeto y aceptación"" (in Spanish). Diario As. 2 October 2017.
- ^ Pepe Imaz Escuela internacional de tenis "Pepe Imaz .:: Escuela internacional de tenis - Trabajo mental y emocional ::. Marbella - Málaga". Archived from the original on 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2012-04-16. "When Pepe Imaz is asked “who are you” he answers “I am Pepe Imaz”. He wants to mean that a person is just that: one person."
- ^ ITF Tennis Profile
- ^ a b c d e "Jose Imaz-Ruiz - Overview - ATP World Tour - Tennis".
- ^ "Moyá cree que Ríos es favorito" (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 29 May 1995.
- ^ "Novak Djokovic splits with coach Boris Becker after three years". 6 December 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Announcement". 4 April 2018 – via novakdjokovic.com.
- ^ "Novak za SK: Pepe i dalje bliska osoba, ishrana ista" (in Serbian). Sport Klub. 29 August 2018.
- ^ "Novak Djokovic Blasts 'Out Of Context' Claims Made About Split With Imaz". 31 August 2018 – via ubitennis.net.
