ATP Coach Spotlight: Craig Boynton

pReturning to the London apartment he was sharing with coach a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/craig-boynton/b068/overview'Craig Boynton/a after finally closing out his epic 11-hour a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/wimbledon/540/overview'Wimbledon/a victory over a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/nicolas-mahut/m873/overview'Nicolas Mahut/a in 2010, a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/john-isner/i186/overview'John Isner/a was feeling good about life./p
p ldquo;I actually felt okay physically, not knowing I was going to feel awful the next day,rdquo; Isner recounted to ATPTour.com this week. ldquo;So I told CB, lsquo;I feel like a million dollarsrsquo;.rdquo; /p
p ldquo;Yeah, in quarters,rdquo; Boynton quipped back, knowing full well that the 70-68 fifth-set victory would take a toll./p
p ldquo;And he was right. I did feel like a million dollars in quarters the next day, just awful,rdquo; Isner laughed. ldquo;He is so witty; he is one of the wittiest guys I know. He always has a quick quip to come back at you with. Ask anyone, the guy is hilarious.rdquo; /p

pBoynton, one of the most respected voices in the game who is also known for his Santa Claus beard and congenial personality, is the subject of ATPTour.comrsquo;s ATP Coach Spotlight this month./p
pBoyntonrsquo;s life has been intertwined with tennis since his collegiate days at Clemson University. After a brief professional playing career, Boynton found his true
calling in coaching mdash; a path hersquo;s been on for more than 30 yearsnbsp;mdash;nbsp; while working with some of the biggest names in the sport./p

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pBoynton has built a decorated career, mentoring players such as a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jim-courier/c243/overview'Jim Courier/a, a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/mardy-fish/f339/overview'Mardy Fish/a, and Isner. /p

pMost recently, the American coach spent five-and-a-half years working with a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/hubert-hurkacz/hb71/overview'Hubert Hurkacz/a before the two amicably parted ways a few weeks ago./p
p ldquo;Itrsquo;s been a labour of love mdash; if that, not even a labour. Itrsquo;s just been a lot of joy, getting to know these great people and helping these great players,rdquo; Boynton reflected of his coaching journey. /p
pBoyntonrsquo;s first real coaching break came in 1993, when he started working with Courier. /p
p ldquo;With Jim, I was the traveling coach, and he brought a whole different level to the Tour,rdquo; Boynton said of working with the former World No. 1./p
pBoynton was particularly impressed by the Americanrsquo;s fitness and drive./p
p ldquo;I can remember Jim saying at the time: 'Anybody can win a five-set match,'rdquo; Boynton said. ldquo;Irsquo;m the only one that can win the same five-set match tomorrow. I was able to see that firsthand, and he was an amazing competitor, an amazing worker.rdquo; /p
pAfter a few years coaching Courier, Boynton moved to Tampa Bay, Florida, in 2007 to head the tennis programme at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy. /p
pAt Saddlebrook, Boynton crossed paths with Isner, a 22-year-old American just beginning to make a name for himself. By March 2009, Isner sought out help from Boynton, who eagerly accepted./p
p ldquo;I had the luxury of knowing John for about two years before we started working together,rdquo; Boynton said. ldquo;I was able to watch him, see his game develop. I knew him, and we got along well. It was really fun watching him impose his presence and come into his own in 2009 and 2010.rdquo;/p

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pIsner was well outside the Top 100 when the two began./p
pBy the end of the year, he had surged more than 100 spots in the PIF ATP Rankings and made his first Round of 16 appearance at the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/us-open/560/overview'US Open/a./p
p ldquo;He can adapt with the player for sure,rdquo; Isner said of Boyntonrsquo;s coaching. ldquo;He was so instrumental in my success, getting me from outside the Top 100 to the Top 20, where I never left for a long time. I started working with CB and made my jump to the top tier of the game.rdquo;/p
pBoyntonrsquo;s jovial attitude and holistic coaching approach, which balances who the player is both on and off the court, was beneficial for Isner./p
p ldquo;For me in particular, he would know when to push me and when to scale back,rdquo; said Isner, who in his post-career activities co-hosts the Nothing Major podcast with a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/steve-johnson/j386/overview'Steve Johnson/a, a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/sam-querrey/q927/overview'Sam Querrey/a and a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jack-sock/sm25/overview'Jack Sock/a. ldquo;He knew me, he listened to me. His work ethic is incredible, and he loves being on the court and always makes practice fun.rdquo;/p

pUnder Boyntonrsquo;s three-year tenure, Isner reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final, made an ATP Masters 1000 final, and cracked the Top 10 for the first time in his career./p
pAfter his time with Isner, Boynton took on a role as a USTA Player Development coach, working with players like a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/donald-young/y124/overview'Donald Young/a and Sock. /p
pThen, in 2019, Boynton began coaching Polandrsquo;s a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/hubert-hurkacz/hb71/overview'Hubert Hurkacz/a. /p
pnbsp;/p
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pWhen the two began working together, Hurkacz was just inside the Top 100. Under Boyntonrsquo;s guidance, he reached his first Grand Slam semi-final, won two ATP Masters 1000 titles, and in August of this year, hit a career-high World No. 6. /p
p ldquo;Hubi and I had five and a half great years. It was a wonderful ride,rdquo; Boynton said. ldquo;I understand these professional relationships will come to an end, but Irsquo;m proud of how close I still am with the players Irsquo;ve coached. /p
p ldquo;I think one thing Irsquo;ll take away from my time with Hubi is how meaningful it was to work with a European player for five and a half years as an American coach. That doesnrsquo;t happen often, and Irsquo;m proud of both the relationship we built and the success we had together.rdquo; /p
pHurkacz shared the same sentiment as his former coach. /p
p ldquo;One-of-a-kind ride! Grateful for all we have achieved as a team! Thank you, CB,rdquo; Hurkacz wrote on his Instagram story with a candid photo of the two sharing smiles on the court. /p
pBoynton continues to love coaching and takes pride in knowing hersquo;s making a positive impact on his players both on and off the court. /p
pWhile he doesnrsquo;t envision himself stepping away from coaching, hersquo;s looking forward to spending more time with family and travelling to the places he hasnrsquo;t already covered as part of his coaching journey. /p
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