Doubles great Todd Woodbridge has been handed a major role in Australian tennis as both national men’s coach and Davis Cup coach.

The newly-expanded, fulltime position combines the Davis Cup job assisting captain John Fitzgerald with the task of overseeing the entire male player development pathway.

“I am excited by the challenge ahead. This job appealed to me because of the breadth of the scope and the chance to make a difference,” said Woodbridge.

“It goes way beyond the Davis Cup and allows me to work with top players and coaches at various levels of their development.

“We have some terrific talent in both the playing and coaching ranks and a recently improved structure that I believe can help us drive some big improvements in Australian tennis performance.”

Tennis Australia’s tennis director Craig Tiley said the new role was crucial to the development of the game.

“Todd brings a terrific skill set to the role,” said Tiley.

“He has a wealth of recent playing experience at the elite level, has been a national coach, tournament director and is a terrific communicator on and off the court.

“Even in his role in the media he has been analysing the very best in the game from close quarters.”

Woodbridge will work closely with program coaches, including the AIS and national academy coaches.

© AAP 2012

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