Roger Federer, who slipped to third in the ATP rankings after losing in the quarter-finals of the last two Grand Slams, announced Wednesday on his website that he has decided to work on a trial basis with coach Paul Annacone.

Annacone, an American, is the former coach of Pete Sampras. He also coached Marat Safin and Tim Henman, and is now the head coach of men's tennis for Britain's Lawn Tennis Association.

"I've been looking to add someone to my team and I've decided to spend some days with Paul Annacone. As Paul winds down his responsibilities working for the Lawn Tennis Association, we will explore our relationship through this test period. Paul will work alongside my existing team and I am excited to learn from his experiences."

Federer has previously worked with coaches Darren Cahill, Jose Higueras and Tony Roche, but has also gone without a coach for extended stretches.

He's scheduled to play at the Rogers Cup in Toronto from 9 August and in Cincinnati the following week before heading to the U.S. Open.

"They will take the necessary time to see if the relationship can work," Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, said in an e-mail. "I would assume that Paul, if he can work it in with his remaining responsibilities and schedule with the LTA, will join Roger for some of his upcoming summer hard court events in North America."


(source: Roger Federer, AP)

Roger Federer to make trial coaching run with former Sampras coach Paul Annacone