Former Barry University men’s tennis player Max Wimmer has turned to coaching.
At the highest level.
Wimmer, who finished his Buccaneers career in 2013 by helping Barry go 29-0 to win the program’s second national title, is coaching with Lars Uebel on the ATP Tour. Together, they are working with professional players Peter Gojowczyk, Matthias Bachinger, Tim Puetz and Benjamin Becker in their German-based academy.
“It was a very good opportunity to start right away with coaching on the highest professional level, and usually people do not get the chance at my age, so it was a very good option,” Wimmer said. “When I first started, we had to see how it would go when I traveled with the guys, and how they would accept me because, like I said, I am very young for a coach on that level. Usually they are all over 40. But it’s worked out really well. The guys listened more and more, and the first tournaments I worked with them were really successful.”
In Wimmer’s first coaching trip to Peking, China, late last summer, Gojowczyk qualified for the main draw and then won a first round match before losing to Rafael Nadal, who was ranked No. 2 in the world. Wimmer spent 16 days in China, working two tournaments. Gojowczyk also beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Milos Raonic – two of the top-12 ranked players in the world – in 2014.
Following the China trip, Wimmer made a brief stop back in Germany before jetting off to Stockholm, Sweden. There, Bachinger advanced to the semifinals before falling in a close match to Tomas Berdych, who was ranked No. 6 in the world.
From there, Wimmer travelled to Italy, Finland and Switzerland before spending December in Munich, Germany, for preseason training for this season, where he and Uebel were approached by more players to work with them. He began the year in Doha, Qatar. Now he’s in Melbourne, Australia, at the Australian Open.
Wimmer went 67-16 in his singles career at Barry. His 67 victories are tied for the most in school history. He was 76-32 in doubles. His 76 doubles wins are tied for fourth most at Barry. He was part of two NCAA Division II National Championship teams, winning titles with the Buccaneers in 2010 and 2013. Wimmer was a three-time All-American at Barry.
Uebel initially approached Wimmer about the idea of coaching last spring at the Sony Ericsson Open while he was finishing his master’s degree in business at Barry. He was a volunteer assistant coach for a year with the Bucs in 2014.
“I was not sure what I was going to do when I was done with the MBA, if I should start working in an office right away or try to stay with tennis,” said Wimmer, who still plays in club matches and occasional tournaments himself.
“I see myself as a coach right now, but I don’t know what the future will bring. Maybe a college coach would be something, even though I’m on a higher level now, but let’s see. It’s a lot of travelling all over the world, and we will see how long I will enjoy it.”