How Escoffier's wife has coached him to newfound success

Antoine Escoffier’s wife, Yolhen, has been instrumental in the Frenchman’s journey to winning his first ATP Challenger Tour title. Not just as a spouse, but Yolhen, who works as a mental coach, is providing that kind of training to her husband.

“It’s part of her job. She has a multi-task job, she [focusses] on natural paths, like natural ways for the body about food. There’s also the mental part, the yoga teaching, she’s all connected to the well-being of the body,” Escoffier told ATPTour.com.

A 32-year-old who struggled with injuries in the early stages of his career, Escoffier decided to make this key change at age 28. He was at a then career-high World No. 335 in the PIF ATP Rankings in February 2020, right before the Covid-19 pandemic paused the ATP Challenger Tour season. Escoffier was hungry to climb even higher coming out of the extended break.

“I had to do things differently because until then, it was all leading to the same results, which was good, but not as good as I thought I could be. I just tried to change. I started with my wife,” Escoffier said.

“We just started from zero. Big mental workouts, a big priority on the mental part of the game and less about the tennis, which was the opposite from the previous 10 years; 100 per cent tennis and zero per cent mental.

“Now I give 100 per cent to mental [training] and zero per cent to tennis,” he joked.

Escoffier enjoyed one of the best months of his career in July, winning his biggest title at last week’s ATP Challenger Tour 50 event in Segovia, Spain, where he was a finalist in 2023. Though Escoffier does not have a tennis coach, he had Yolhen vocally supporting him courtside in Segovia.

“She’s coaching me every changeover, every eye contact we have, there’s something about our plan, our goals that we had. She’s cheering me a lot,” said Escoffier, who reached the Pozoblanco Challenger final the week preceding his title run.

Escoffier first met Yolhen at age 15, though they did not start dating until 2012, when he was 20. They married in September 2022.

^{Antoine and Yolhen in 2013. Credit: Antoine Escoffier}

One advantage of having Yolhen by his side is that Escoffier does not need to carve out his schedule to have a meeting with a mental coach. Instead, the conversations are more organic.

“It’s totally random. It can be 7:30 a.m. when I wake up, I think about something and then I share it with her. It can be during a movie at night, I stop the movie and I say, ‘I’m thinking about something.’ And then we talk for one hour and then the movie is over so we are going to have to wait until the next day [to finish] the movie,” Escoffier said.

“We talk as husband and wife, but then five minutes later I can share with her what my mind is going through and then it goes to a mental conversation. It’s always like this.

“That’s the good part I guess, because it’s not scheduled. Sometimes you schedule something, like tennis, mental, or physical and you’re not in the mood and then you can’t take the best of yourself when it’s scheduled and you don’t feel it. For this, I’m pretty lucky that we travel together almost all year and we can have this type of conversation anywhere, whenever.”

Those early-morning or late-night impromptu talks combined with Escoffier’s hard work are reaping rewards. And Escoffier is trying to return the favour by coaching Yolhen in tennis lessons.

“I’m teaching her in exchange for her services. She’s learning. Maybe 10 more years before the WTA Tour,” he said with a laugh.

Did You Know?
Escoffier is the second-oldest first-time winner in Challenger history. Only Joseph Sirianni (32 years, 10 months) was older when he won his maiden title in Caloundra, Australia (2007).

2023 ➡️ Finalist
2024 ➡️ Champion

What an incredible week for Antoine Escoffier in Segovia! #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/WwhJfZl3KW

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 28, 2024