Local tennis coach makes history

Edouard Roger-Vasselin made history when he became only the second man in tennis history to make the finals of a Master Series 1000 after undergoing major hip surgery last year. Roger-Vasselin joins Bob Bryan in this select category. Both players were coached by Dr. Dave Marshall during their runs. Major hip surgery on the professional tour is remarkable. The only other player to have it and compete at the highest level is Andy Murray. Murray won Queens Club, a 500 ATP-level tournament.

At the Indian Wells Masters, Roger-Vasselin partnered with Santy Gonzalez during his run to the finals. They defeated Sander Gille and Matwe Middlekoop to start 7-6, 6-1. Then they defeated perennial top 10 singles player Dennis Shapolava and Rohana Bopana 6-4, 4-6, 10-4. The quarterfinals saw them defeat top 10 singles player Andrey Rublev and his partner top 20 Aslan Karatsev 6-2, 6-4. In the semifinals, they defeated defending U.S. Open champions Raj Ram and Joe Salisbury 3-6, 6-4, 10-7. In the finals, they came up short against Jack Sock and John Isner 7-6, 6-3.

Roger-Vasselin preceded his finals showing with a semifinal finish in the Dubai 500. He looks to join Bryan and Murray as being the only pros to win professional titles after major hip surgery. Marshall, who coached Roger-Vasselin, also coached Bryan to two Master Series titles as well as three other pro titles after major hip surgery. Marshall coached Kaia Kanepi to the quarters of the Australian Open women’s singles and third round in Indian Wells. He also works with Benoit Paire. Marshall coached the Bryan Brothers from 2016 until their retirement in 2021. He has won two Grand Slam titles, one World Championship, three Master Series titles and several Tour-level titles.

For more information, go to www.davemarshalltennis.com.