Pepe Imaz
| Country (sports) |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 May 1974 Logroño, Spain |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| 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) |
José "Pepe" Imaz Ruiz (born 30 May 1974 in Logroño) is a tennis coach and former professional tennis player from Spain.[1][2]
Playing career
Imaz made his debut on the ATP Tour at the 1995 Austrian Open.[3] He lost to Sergi Bruguera in the second round, having earlier beaten Christian Miniussi.[3]
His most noteworthy performance came in the 1998 French Open, the only Grand Slam of his career.[3] The Spaniard had a five set opening round win over Jean-Baptiste Perlant.[3] 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.[3]
Coaching career
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 cure himself of depression. In 2016, post-Novak Djokovic's win at the French Open, Imaz became part of Novak's support team from Wimbledon onwards, through the US Open and the Masters Tennis series.[4][5] During this partnership Djokovic's career took a sudden and dramatic downturn, going from one of the most dominant athletes in tennis to hardly winning tournaments. Djokovic later stopped working with him in April 2018.
ATP Challenger Tour finals
Doubles: (2-3)
| Outcome | 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
- ^ Pepe Imaz Escuela internacional de tenis "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "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".
- ^ "Novak Djokovic splits with coach Boris Becker after three years". 6 December 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Djokovic turns to ex-journeyman player and spiritual guru Pepe Imaz".