Federer, Edberg coaching deal ends, Ivan Ljubicic hired

Switzerland’s Roger Federer (R) poses with his Swedish coach Stefan Edberg after being present with two awards, the Fans’ Favourite award, and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award, following his victory over Tomas Berdych in their men’s singles group stage match on day one of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London on November 15, 2015. Federer won the match 6-4, 6-2. AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK / AFP / GLYN KIRK

Roger Federer says his coaching relationship with his “childhood idol” Stefan Edberg has ended, and the six-time Grand Slam singles champion will not travel with him next year.

In a statement to the ATP website, Edberg said: “Roger and I had a wonderful two years together … it became very clear from the start that this was going to be a special partnership, working with the greatest ambassador tennis has ever seen.”

Severin Luthi will remain Federer’s head coach, and joining the Swiss star in 2016 will be Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.

“After 2 very successful years, I would like to thank Stefan Edberg, my childhood idol, for agreeing to join my team,” Federer said on Facebook and on his personal website. “It was a dream come true. Although it was supposed to only be for 2014, Stefan was great and agreed to extend the partnership through this year, which I really appreciated. He taught me so much and his influence on my game will remain.”

Edberg said he knew 2015 would be his last as Federer’s coach.

“After an amazing 2014, I decided to continue on for another year, but with a clear understanding that it would be my last year given the time commitment,” Edberg said in his statement to the ATP.

“Roger still has a lot left to give to the sport of tennis and is capable of winning the big events. Roger and I will remain close friends and I will always feel part of the Federer team. I hope to try and come watch Roger play some tournaments in 2016.”

Federer will make his 2016 debut at the Brisbane International, which begins Jan. 3. Federer reached 1,000 career match wins in Brisbane last year en route to the title.

The 34-year-old Federer reached the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals this year but lost both to Novak Djokovic. Ljubicic, 36, reached a career high of third in the world rankings and won 10 ATP titles.