Oliver Glasner recently visited the All England Club’s indoor courts to play tennis with retired star Kyle Edmund, a former British No. 1 who reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2018. The upcoming Crystal Palace manager, who will leave his post next month, was invited by an Irish fan who also holds a season ticket for the club. Glasner expressed his enjoyment of meeting tennis players and coaches, as well as people outside the football world, because life feels like it revolves around football for about 350 days a year.
The soon-to-depart manager admitted: “I played doubles with Kyle Edmund, who was once ranked 14th in the world. He is incredibly strong, while I played terribly. Honestly, I was very disappointed with my performance, but I’ll have more time to practice and improve in June. Maybe I’ll come back to watch the Wimbledon main draw in July. I like meeting people outside football because life feels like it’s all about football for 350 days a year, with matches and training day after day. Staying in the same circle for too long can narrow your perspective. I enjoy getting to know tennis players and coaches, listening to their mental adjustments, on-court experiences, and learning how they handle pressure, manage match situations, and prepare for big tournaments. For example, the mentality of being an underdog against giants like Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer is very insightful. I also found an interesting fact: tennis players hire coaches, and if they’re not satisfied, they quickly fire them—the average cooperation period is only about three months; while in football, the average tenure for a manager is about a year.”
Next, Crystal Palace will play three Premier League matches in a row, followed by the Europa Conference League final against Spanish side Rayo Vallecano, and Glasner plans to rotate the squad. He will also travel to Valencia on Thursday to watch the final opponent in person. If Crystal Palace wins all three remaining league games (away to Brentford on Sunday and home to Arsenal on the final day), they will equal last season’s club record of 53 points.
Glasner said: “We have less influence on the title race than VAR decisions. I told the players that we are only two and a half weeks away from our most important match of the season. We can’t relax and then try to adjust two days before the final. I said to the players, if you don’t want to fight for victory, just tell me, and we’ll stay in London and enjoy the good weather instead of traveling long distances. Everyone expressed willingness to go and give their best, and we know how challenging this match will be.”