We're both human beings and we try to treat each other as such. By continuing to browse our website, you agree to our use of cookies. Two years ago, Petra Martic sprung a surprise when she hired Sandra Zaniewska, a fellow player a year younger than her with no coaching experience, to guide her full-time. - and we broaden our horizons. Coach and player is a secondary thing. To find out more about our use of cookies and how you can disable them, please see our Privacy Policy. Petra Martić (born 19 January 1991) is a professional tennis player from Croatia. Her upsurge, she says, is validation of an unusual coaching choice she made two years ago, just as she was returning to the tour after several years beleaguered by injury: to hire fellow player Sandra Zaniewska full-time. International Tennis Federation Official Facebook page of Petra Martic. Often, coaching relationships contain an underlying power imbalance: either the coach as an authoritarian father figure ordering his charge around, or the player as a strict employer bossing an underling. It took me a long time for me to figure out what I want on the court, and she really narrowed my options so it's easier for me to win." )"We're pretty different, but we manage to put it together," sums up Zaniewska of the unconventional path the pair are forging. "I think it's nice," adds Martic. For the last two years I would say that I've really figured out what I want because of her. We use cookies to provide our services and for analytics and marketing. Relationships. Management Team
14 in January 2020. (In practice, Martic says that while she wants to be mindful that she needs to do without it at majors, "it's harder in the moment" to resist when she realises a few words from Zaniewska can set her right mid-match. In Paris, Martic recalled the scepticism she had faced after hiring Zaniewska: "When I started working with her, everybody was doubting my decision. 15 in October 2019. Terms & Conditions Privacy Notice She helped me find my identity, and only now I see my game as an advantage. Having made her international debut in 2008, she reached a career high singles ranking of no. But after six months, Martic, who blends power and finesse to make for one of the most well-rounded and dangerous skillsets on tour, realised how valuable Zaniewska's input had been. "One example is the subject of on-court coaching, which Martic thinks should be uniform - either in its presence or absence - across both WTA tournaments and Grand Slams, but which Zaniewska is firmly against. Select from premium Petra Martic of the highest quality. "For many years I was actually really lost with this game, and as much as people saw it as my advantage, I saw it as a ridiculous challenge that I was never gonna overcome. "I think it's the best way to do it," she says. Now, the 2019 Roland Garros quarterfinalist is in the form of her life - and credits their partnership with helping her find her true identity. "The partnership between two players so close in age also makes for a refreshing on-court dynamic. This is for us the most important thing, to have respect towards each other, to be honest and to do good work." "Some coaches wanted me to decide on my own what to do, some wanted to do points the way they wanted, and at the same time I didn't know what I wanted to do or how - what my identity on the court was. Martic has won one singles title on the WTA Tour—the 2019 Istanbul Cup, and reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 French Open. Find the perfect Petra Martic stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. But for the last two years I would say that I've really figured out what I want because of her. Martic was in the process of essaying a remarkable comeback, shooting from WTA World No.662 to No.89 in just three months thanks to fourth-round showings at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.Zaniewska, by contrast, was finally calling time on a career that had also been beset by injury: having reached a career high of WTA World No.142 in 2012, the year she qualified for her only Grand Slam main draw at Wimbledon, she would play her final match in Ilkley in June 2017.Initially, Zaniewska - who had never coached before, and had no intentions to start beyond a jobbing part-time way to earn extra money as she returned to studying - was just a background voice offering advice to Martic.