Melbourne Glory Beckons for Moodie

Monte Carlo Tennis Academy coach Antony Hampson believes that Wesley Moodie and Jeff Coetzee can go all the way when they take on Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra in the semifinals of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Hampson, who has combined coaching Moodie with his role as Justine Henin’s hitting partner in Melbourne, says Moodie and Coetzee are peaking at just the right time.

“Wes has deserved it, he’s played with confidence,” said Hampson.

“He’s returning well, which we’ve been working on. Wes and Jeff were up a set and a break against Martin Damm and Pavel Vizner in the quarterfinals and then Jeff got broken - there wasn’t much he could do about it. Then they went down a break in the third and looked down and out because the momentum was with the other guys. But Wes and Jeff hung in there and got their reward, which was very, very pleasing.”

Clement and Llodra are the current Wimbledon champions, but Hampson believes they have nothing to fear.

“I spoke to Wes and he said that he had played Clement and Llodra a couple of times, and beaten them, so Wes and Jeff will go in with a lot of confidence. Wes has won the Wimbledon doubles title, so he knows what it’s all about, he won’t be afraid. There’s an air of quiet confidence in the camp,” said Hampson.

The match will be the first to feature in the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday, beginning at 11am local time (Midnight GMT).

Wesley Moodie is part of the Monte Carlo Tennis Academy - the world’s first touring tennis academy.