The Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France is widely seen as a top destination for rising players, celebrated for its elite facilities and a lineup of star trainees. Yet Anna Kalinskaya has shared a sharply different perspective as she opened up about the harsh training environment that led her to refuse a return.

Anna Kalinskaya recently spoke about her experience at Patrick Mouratoglou’s Tennis Academy. She shared her story on Elena Vesnina’s podcast and described both the positives and the challenges.

“I went there, they have a really cool academy, a million courts, an incredible gym.”

However, the training experience soon felt very different from the image. The academy focused heavily on physical preparation.

Kalinskaya said her body was not ready for such demands at that age. She had done very little strength work before joining.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

“They started putting a lot of physical effort there, and I wasn’t ready for that. Until I was 16, I did very little; I didn’t do any weightlifting; if I did, it was just some one-off workouts.”

She also felt there was limited personal attention. The heavy training load quickly began to affect her physically.

To keep up, she tried to follow the routines of established players. One of them was Alizé Cornet.

“Alizé Cornet, I would copy her there. I did less weight there, but overall, the program was intense.”

The intense schedule initially improved her performance. She started seeing better results on the court.

“I played with sparring, and the workload was insane. I started seeing results. I was playing well, but my back also started hurting. And that was my first injury, and yes, it still comes back sometimes.”

That back issue has followed her career. Even at this year’s Australian Open, she needed a medical timeout during her match against World No. 2 Iga Świątek before losing 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.

Even beyond injuries, she also questioned the training environment. She described instability in coaching and planning.

“The last time I was there, I came for 10 days, I trained with one coach for two days, and I came on the third day, and there’s already a different coach.”

When she asked about the change, she learned the coach had been reassigned. Priority was given to higher-ranked players.

“So priority was given to tour players. That’s my experience, and I never went there again, because in 10 days, I changed three coaches.”

And this is not the first time the academy has faced questions. Two years ago, a junior player also shared concerns about the training environment and structure at the French-based center.

Romanian player reveals troubling details about Patrick Mouratoglou’s Academy

Two years ago, Romanian player Maria Sara Popa made serious claims about the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. The then 18-year-old said junior players were given certain substances during training.

Popa trained at the academy in France when she was 12. She said both players and parents had to give written consent before taking anything.

“I was when I was 12 years old. I played at the Mouratoglou Academy. It is true that, from an early age, athletes are given some substances. At juniors, you are not controlled by the Anti-Doping Department. It lets you grow a little, to turn 17, and from then on, the controls begin more intensely. Players and parents must agree.”

She explained that a formal process was followed. Athletes were asked to sign documents before receiving any substance.

“They are given a sheet of paper and must sign to agree to take that substance. The first time I was scared, I really didn’t know what was happening (about the anti-doping controls),” Sara Maria Popa said exclusively at AS.ro.

Popa also spoke about testing and the wider environment. She said she personally chose not to take anything.

“The first time I was scared, I really didn’t know what was happening,” the WTA world No.1263 continued. “There are athletes who take those substances, only they don’t get caught because they know exactly when to eliminate the substance, and they know exactly when to take them. I, for example, was tested weekly and never took. But I can’t put my hand in the fire for the other athletes.”

Her comments came during the period of controversy around Simona Halep’s doping case. The claims added further attention to the academy’s training practices.

Now, with Anna Kalinskaya also sharing concerns about training conditions at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, more voices have joined the conversation. These accounts have raised fresh questions about workload, supervision, and athlete welfare at the France-based camp.