Sandra Zaniewska is the present coach of Marta Kostyuk. However the former WTA professional is a lot extra. She’s a preferred blogger on Substack, a printed writer and a pioneering lady who’s doing her greatest to lift the profile of feminine coaches in tennis, and throughout sport.
At present, she’s in Paris, getting ready Kostyuk for one of many largest matches of the match, on Sunday in opposition to four-time champion Iga Swiatek. We caught up with the 34-year-old to speak about her chemistry with Kostyuk, her love of writing and the significance of letting Marta be Marta.
How vital is it so that you can perhaps push this ahead, be a task mannequin, perhaps affect the form of tennis teaching typically?
Yeah, I imply, , I don’t give it some thought everyday, however I really feel very privileged, clearly, to be on this place, as a result of I really feel like feminine coaches in tennis, there are so few as a result of there should not many alternatives, and I used to be the luckiest particular person on the earth to get a possibility like I did from Petra [Martic]the place she just about was like, ‘Look, I like the best way you see tennis. Why don’t you come and assist me out?’
After which, from teaching a few weeks right here and there, it turned to full-time, which I believed was a horrible concept, but it surely labored. Who will get an opportunity like that? I used to be actually fortunate to get that and to nonetheless be right here so a few years later. After I began along with her. For me it’s an enormous privilege and I’m joyful if I can transfer the needle ahead just a little bit.
Yeah, it’s huge, proper? I imply, I really like your Substack, too. What impressed you to start out it?
I all the time preferred writing. I all the time wrote lots, and at one level final yr, I began simply writing to mirror once more, and I wasn’t doing it for a few years, after which after I was writing, some reminiscences, like from the previous, had been coming to me, I used to be like, ‘Hey, , this might be an attention-grabbing factor. And I wrote a few essays, and I despatched them to Marta, and I mentioned, ‘What do you suppose?’ And she or he was like, ‘They’re so good – it is best to actually publish them, nothing like this exists. It is going to be superior.’ That’s how I began publishing, and I’m nonetheless writing.
So for the primary yr, I used to be writing 2 a month, and now I feel I’m gonna go together with one a month, simply to form of hold it going as a result of I nonetheless prefer it. However yeah, that was actually it. It was simply my very own reflections.
The final essay actually hit me. It was actually informative, particularly given what you and Marta simply went by means of, while you received Rouen after which Madrid. You discuss first a few stage that seems in a stage that stays. Are you able to discuss me by means of that just a little bit? In reference to you and Marta, the place you’re proper now, and the way vital it’s to form of embrace that idea.
I feel with Marta, it was all the time very seen. She was a participant that would win in opposition to anybody, but additionally typically lose in opposition to anybody, too. Her stage, if it was actually good, it was unbelievable, but it surely simply couldn’t maintain for a very long time. So there was a lot inconsistency within the outcomes, I’d say. All of us see the power that she has. She has all of the instruments, and for those who simply give it some thought, you’re like, ‘Okay, she ought to be capable to beat any participant, proper?’ However that wasn’t the case for a few years, and I feel that what we had been trying to find was to take her to a different stage of tennis, as a result of we knew that this stage is there. She has it, the query was all the time, how can we make it constant? How can we hold it? So as soon as it’s there, , how does it keep? And I feel that that is precisely what occurred. It’s not prefer it’s a miracle that she begins placing marbles in or hitting the ball tougher, it’s extra like she’s doing all these issues. She’s doing the fitting issues, however she’s in a position to do them on a regular basis, or more often than not, within the match.
And is there actually one thing that she didn’t have earlier than that she has now? Now that she’s on a 14 match clay successful streak?
I feel that earlier than some issues price her emotionally lots, and while you’re coming to an occasion that’s 10 days or two weeks lengthy, in case your first match goes to price you a lot emotionally, there’s no probability that you would be able to maintain it for one more 30 days at an occasion, proper? So, now I feel, typically, issues are costing her much less emotionally, so she has extra vitality and he or she’s in a position to maintain that stage, and compete once more in the identical manner.
Earlier than, typically, she could be so drained and so drained that she would come on the court docket, , second, third or fourth spherical and he or she could be like, ‘Wow, it prices lots. I’ve to search out this vitality from someplace, however I don’t know from the place.’
Proper now she begins with a full tank and it simply empties slower.
How do you get there? And the way did you assist her get there as your coach?
It’s a mix of so many alternative issues. It’s the technical adjustments but it surely’s additionally the issues that she does within the health club. It’s the issues that she does along with her physios, the issues that she does mentally, ? It’s additionally time that passes and her progress as an individual as a result of she’s dwelling extra and experiencing extra life.
So I feel I can’t offer you one factor, as a result of it’s not one factor. It’s a variety of issues carried out proper over a course of time. After I was beginning along with her, I noticed the potential, I noticed the power, however I used to be a bit like, ‘whoa, there are a variety of issues round that now we have to place collectively to ensure that this to work. And I really feel like we did it, ?
Once you step again and also you watch what Marta’s been in a position to do, given the truth that she’s Ukrainian, given the truth that she has a lot ardour for the trigger there, and there’s a lot occurring in her thoughts, that she’s been in a position to compartmentalize and turn out to be the participant she is true now, what do you suppose?
I can’t even think about. Like, I’ve goosebumps. I can’t think about, as a result of I all the time say that I can’t relate to her, as a result of I’m not going by means of this, and I hope that I’ll by no means be capable to relate. To have the ability to stay life, to do that work at such a excessive stage and have this in the back of your thoughts each single day. I don’t know, to be trustworthy. I don’t know how. It’s insane.
Marta is emotional, and I feel perhaps {that a} huge a part of her having the ability to progress in the best way she has been in a position to form of calm her thoughts down and focus extra. Have you ever had a task in that? Are these the conversations that you simply discuss with over dinner that get mentioned over beers or no matter?
Marta interrupts the interview. Sandra says she wished to crash her presser however barely missed it. The interview continues.
It occurs in these moments. And however not all the time, ? I feel now we have such a superb chemistry and such a superb connection that Marta feels secure opening up and speaking about what she feels, and he or she is aware of that there’s all the time area for it. For me, this was an important factor from the start – I all the time noticed the truth that she’s emotional is an efficient factor. I by no means noticed it as a nasty factor. I used to be like, okay, this can be a huge a part of who she is. Why would we modify that? Like, it may be such a optimistic factor too, ? And I feel over time, when she simply felt comfy as a result of I gave her the area and everybody in our group and round her gave her area to be who she is. She was like, okay, it doesn’t need to be a nasty factor. Why would I, why would I attempt to bury it?
I simply have to be taught to make use of it to my benefit. And I feel that that is the massive half proper now, that she finds a manner to make use of these feelings in a manner that serves her.
How excited are you that she’s been in a position to observe up the success of Rouen and Madrid, and make the second week right here, and the way excited are you for the chance to face the four-time champion?
I feel this matchup, Marta and Iga, it’s unbelievable, ? You’ll be able to see that Iga’s discovering her circulation and Marta hasn’t misplaced a match on clay this yr. Even when I wasn’t teaching her, that is the match that I’d be watching on the TV. I feel that is nice for tennis.
Expectations, have you ever had that dialogue, and what are your ideas on the truth that there could also be some now?
We didn’t even speak about the entire match. I feel at this stage, when you’ve got performed so many matches, that you simply really feel good, however it is advisable to protect your vitality, too, proper? There’s nonetheless an extended option to go. So the subsequent match is the one which’s the vital one, and that’s it.
I’m very joyful about this complete clay season, ? It’s been unbelievable. There’s nothing that I can complain about, nothing that I can say that’s going unsuitable. So, for me, I feel, yeah, it’s the identical. I do my job, like I do it on another week, whether or not she has a few unhealthy losses earlier than or not, I put together the match the identical. There’s actually no distinction. So we attempt to hold it precisely the identical, that there’s nothing out of the peculiar and hopefully, we hold the roll going all the best way.
