With eight different women winning the last eight Grand Slam events, women’s tennis has rarely been so unpredictable. The off-season did little to calm the turbulence, with many top players making changes to their coaching arrangements as they prepare for the 2019 season. Top-ranked Simona Halep and Darren Cahill ended their partnership. The longest coach-player relationship to end in the off-season was Venus Williams‘s with David Witt, who had been part of her team full-time for 11 years. After starting as a hitting partner, Witt became a trusted member of the tight-knit Williams team, and took on a larger role as the family patriarch Richard Williams stepped back from the rigors of the tour.

Source: New York Times December 11, 2018 16:31 UTC