The world of Tennis has been thrown into a state of mourning following the death of a coach who worked at this year’s Australian Open despite being ill.
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Coach Kristijan Schneider who worked with players on both the ATP and WTA Tour’s despite battling cancer has passed away, aged 41.
Kristijan Schneider was known best for his work with Borna Coric and it was during that time that he was diagnosed with colon cancer back in 2019.
The colon cancer didn’t need chemotherapy and he returned to the tennis court after about six months.
Unfortunately, two years after his battle with colon cancer, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer which required treatment after returning from the Australian Open where he coached Olga Danilovic.
Kristijan Schneider received a lot of support throughout his battle with cancer.
During last September’s Indian Wells Masters, Daniil Medvedev’s coach, Gilles Cervara, wore a shirt with the logo “Kiki, coz I care.”
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Meanwhile, Italian player Thomas Fabbiano donated $1 for every minute he played during the Miami Masters tournament to Kristijan Schenider.
Announcing Kristijan Schneider’s (fondly known as Kiki) death, the Croatian Tennis Federation said;
“Kristijan Schneider has died after a serious illness. One of our most famous coaches, the favourite Kiki everywhere, lost the hardest battle against a vicious disease.”
“He was the coach of many tennis stars, such as Borna Ćorić and Ana Konjuh. He recently participated (supported) junior Australian Open winner Petra Marčinko, and also worked with Bernard Pero, Olga Danilović…”
“Unfortunately, Kiki’s life ended prematurely, at the age of 41. Kiki, thank you for everything you gave to tennis and was what you are.”
“We express our deepest condolences to the family in this way.”
Kristijan Schneider is survived by his wife and 4 children.
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