Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova shoots ex-coach: "Many coaches have a huge ego"
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova explained in an extensive interview the surprising separation from her trainer Sam Sumyk . The 28-year-old accuses the French of selfishness and sees a general problem in coach-player relationships. In addition, the Russian called for a change in the WTA calendar and gives insights into the discussions of the Player Council.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: Mar 29, 2020, 11:04 am
In July 2019, Pavlyuchenkova contacted Sumyk for the first time after her agent separated from Garbine Muguruza. Before the US Open, there was trial training and further discussions before the two agreed to work together.
"Before that I had a difficult period in my career. The training was not easy for me, so I found a strict coach who attaches great importance to discipline," said Pavlyuchenkova of the Russian daily Kommersant . Good results followed, Pavlyuchenkova reached the final of Osaka and Moscow. At the start of the 2020 season, she beat Karolina Pliskova and Angelique Kerber among others at the Australian Open and entered the quarter-finals.
But at the first Grand Slam of the year, Pavlyuchenkova sensed that something was going wrong. "I didn't like the atmosphere in the team. I couldn't speak openly," said Pavlyuchenkova. "It is important to me to connect to my trainer. I felt uncomfortable, it was annoying."
After the tournament in Melbourne, she stopped an injury to her hip and blamed it on Sumyk. "He and my physio were partly responsible for it. In my entire career I have never had any pain except for one little thing in my shoulder. The training and tournament schedule were simply inappropriate." So she beat Belinda Bencic in Dubai in February, but could hardly play the next day.
And further: "I'm hungry for success and set the bar very high. I don't care what the coach's name is, who he coached before or how many titles he won. I only begin to understand this with my experience. Many coaches have a huge ego and all too often talk about "I". That’s why big problems often arise. "
WTA asked Pavlyuchenkova for discretion
Oddly enough, it was Sumyk who informed the public about Pavlyuchenkova's separation. The current number 30 in the world made it clear that it was ending the collaboration. "He is probably looking for a new job and wanted to say that he would be available. It came as a surprise to him, he was certainly not prepared for the breakup."
The WTA is said to have even asked Pavlyuchenkova not to announce anything about the separation at first. The overall situation on the tour is currently complicated enough due to the corona crisis and the suspended tournaments. "Since Sam blurted it out myself, I felt that it needed some clarification," said Pavlyuchenkova. "That was solely my decision."
Pavlyuchenkova, who normally trains in France, traveled back to her home country after a short visit to Indian Wells. She is currently spending time with her family just outside of Moscow. After a two-week self-imposed home quarantine, she keeps fit in a small gym. You can even hit a few balls on a secluded tennis court.
WTA Tour Players' Council: Talks with Jürgen Melzer
As a member of the WTA Players' Council - in addition to Sloane Stevens, Madison Keys, Kristie Ahn, Johanna Konta, Aleksandra Krunic and Donna Vekic - she is currently having many discussions to advise on the rest of the 2020 season. She gave insights into the surprising relocation of the French Open in September.
"As I understand it, they have a problem with insurance. But that's only my assumption. They can obviously only start their tournament on September 20th, another date is not possible," said Pavlyuchenkova, who also regularly deals with Jürgen Melzer exchanges to find out which positions the players of the ATP represent. "We at the Players' Council do not yet fully understand how the situation could be resolved. In addition, we can hardly make any decisions anyway."
She herself advocates an extended season that runs until December and continues seamlessly into the 2021 season. "It is time to change the tournament schedule," she said. Playing from January to November, as would normally be the case, is just "crazy". "Now I'm ready and motivated to play in December too," she said.