Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 7, 2021 Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in action during her fourth round match against Poland’s Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 7, 2021 Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in action during her fourth round match against Poland’s Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Athletes have to remain assertive and composed in their respective sports to claim glory in the spotlight. However, they are also humans, just like the rest of us. The 2023’s ATX Open winner, Marta Kostyuk, recently exposed her vulnerable side. Kostyuk has always been upfront about herself. In her statement, the Ukranian star shed light on her decision to switch coaches.
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The 21-year-old brought forth the perks that Sandra Zaniewska put to the table. Marta received most of her training from her mom and uncle. Kostyuk decided to sign Sandra as her new coach as soon as the Wimbledon Championships ended.
Why did Marta Kostyuk get a female coach?
Marta Kostyuk expressed that she thrives in a positive environment. That means she needs to be comfortable around the people she’s working with. Coaches spend a considerable amount of time alongside their players. Kostyuk’s reasoning is quite similar to this, as she said:
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Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 7, 2021 Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in action during her fourth round match against Poland’s Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
“I’m a person who talks, and it was very difficult for me because when you work with a male coach, most of them don’t talk. They cannot express what you feel and adjust.”
Marta accepts the fact that she is quite talkative. However, her experience with male coaches ended with disappointments. She argued that male coaches often tend to focus on solutions rather than comforting words. This didn’t sit right with Kostyuk, as she needed someone expressive who could decipher the situation and react accordingly.
“I’ve been coached by my mom for most of my life, by a woman. I’m very happy and I really hope that examples of mine and Sandra will bring more coaches on tour and the girls will trust more women.”
Kostyuk then went on to credit her mom, Talina Beiko, a former pro. She found familiarity in her training with Sandra. Since she spent most of her time training with a woman. Marta’s only hope is that her situation lays the groundwork for more. Especially for girls to put their trust in female coaches.
But why exactly did the tennis star pinpoint Sandra Zaniewska as her coach? She conveyed her answer in an interview.
Why choose Sandra Zaniewska?
In her interview with WTA Insider, Marta spoke about her Polish coach extensively. Sandra showed her exceptional skills as a coach while she was with Petra Martic. She brought out Martic’s best performances from 2017 to 2019. Kostyuk voiced her experience on how male coaches would not entertain her jolly nature.?
“Usually when I had this kind of behavior, all the other coaches, no one for one second would accept it or try to understand why I feel like this or try and have a conversation with me, or even just let me be. She did and I was like, ‘Wow, this is next-level coaching. I’ve never seen this,”?Kostyuk said.
However, Zaniewska gladly accepted Marta and her candidness. This connected with Kostyuk on a personal level. She realized she had never been in such an atmosphere before and instantly fell in love with Sandra’s approach.
Sandra understood what Marta needed and quickly adjusted her wavelength to fit it. This dedicated bond between a coach and an athlete is bound to set examples. What do you make of the Ukranian star’s reasoning for switching coaches? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Written by
Edited by
Amal Joyce