Wilander to Fed: Tap me

"I do think I would be a very good person [to coach Roger] and in many ways I think I would be the perfect person for that," Wilander told eurosport.yahoo.com.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion recently split with world number 25 Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Wilander hopes to continue working with Mathieu and the players that make up part of Team Lagardère, the training group that provides coaches for several top-ranked French players including Mathieu, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils.

"We left on good terms," the 44-year-old Swede said. "I'm planning on having meetings with Lagardère because I've heard that the coaches really like me and they would like for me to somehow stay."

Wilander said that Mathieu requested the split because of time constraints that prevented the pair from working together on a more full-time basis.

"I think he feels that he's gained something from me," Wilander said.

"But he also feels it's a bit of a chopped-up situation where I am mainly travelling with him on Tour and then he comes back home to Paris and doesn't have a chance to work with me on things that we directly talk about out on the road.

"Could I give him 40 weeks a year? Of course I can't, because I have four kids a wife and I live in America. That's the main problem. It's more of a practical problem than anything."

As for the prospect of working with the 12-time Grand Slam champion Federer, the Swede said that it was unrealistic to believe that it would happen.

"If Roger Federer asked me for help, would I say yes? Yes obviously," Wilander said.

"I think that's pretty far-fetched with what's going to happen, but everybody would love to work with one of the nicest people in the world and the greatest player in the world."

Wilander has criticised Federer in the past for failing to show the sort of competitive edge needed to overcome current world number one Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.

"I do think that he needs somebody who has won the French Open a bunch of times in different ways," Wilander said.

"I won the French Open against [Guillermo] Villas pushing, and I won the French Open against [Ivan] Lendl in 1985 by changing my game after a set and becoming way more aggressive and coming to the net a lot on poor shots."

"I think that I have an experience that could help [Federer], but then you still have to relate to one another as people and you have to be able to relay the message."

Wilander added that he didn't think Federer needed to necessarily tap him, but should look for help from somebody who made significant adjustments to his style of play in order to do well at the French Open.

"A person like that could definitely help him to go through it, maybe not to win it, but certainly to explore Nadal's weaknesses a little more than he has."

Spain's Nadal has beaten Federer in three successive French Open finals and won the Paris title for four straight seasons.

The 27-year-old Federer has won every Grand Slam except for Roland Garros.

Wilander praised the Swiss world number two's current claycourt coach Jose Higueras, but said that Federer could be better off with a player who has won the French Open title or come close.

"I'm not saying that I'm a better or worse coach than the coaches he has surrounded himself with, but I did win it three times," he said.

"So there is a possibility that maybe he could pick up on."

Wilander listed John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, and Patrick Rafter as others who could help tutor the five-time Wimbledon champion on clay.

"I think McEnroe could really help Federer on clay, even though he didn't win it, because that style of play is what Federer needs to do against Nadal unless he redevelops his backhand and does something completely different."

"He needs somebody who served and volleyed and came to the net on little weird shots in the middle of the court.

"Just someone to make him kind of understand that offensive, aggressive style of play even on clay."