Last Updated on May 8, 2023
Petra Martic, born on January 19, 1991, has become a force to be reckoned with on the tennis circuit. The Croatian professional tennis player has come a long way since her WTA debut in 2008. Over the years, she has displayed her exceptional talent and determination, leading her to win two singles titles on the WTA Tour, one singles and one doubles title on the WTA Challenger Tour, as well as four singles and five doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. Martic’s rise in the tennis world has been an inspiring journey, with a career-high singles ranking of world No. 14, achieved in January 2020.
A crucial aspect of Martic’s development has been her collaboration with various coaches who have guided her throughout her career. Each coaching partnership has played a significant role in shaping Martic’s skills and mindset, allowing her to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing dynamics of professional tennis. These coaches, coming from different backgrounds and with diverse experiences, have provided Martic with the support and guidance needed to navigate the challenges of the tennis world.
In this article, we will take a closer look at her current coach, Michael Geserer, and her former coaches Biljana Veselinovic, Sandra Zaniewska, and Francesca Schiavone.
Who Is Petra Martic Current Coach?
Michael Geserer
Petra Martic began working with German coach Michael Geserer in 2021. Geserer, a former professional tennis player, reached a career-high ranking of 189 in the world and played in the qualifying draws of all four Grand Slam tournaments. After retiring from professional tennis, he transitioned into coaching and has worked with notable WTA Tour players such as Julia Görges and 2021 Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady.
In July of 2022, with the guidance of Michael Geserer, she achieved her second WTA Tour singles title by emerging victorious in the Ladies Open Lausanne tournament. Her journey to the title involved defeating world No. 13 Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals, Caroline Garcia in the semifinals, and qualifier Olga Danilovic in the final match.
Martic expressed, “My performance was consistently good throughout the entire match. In contrast, during yesterday’s and previous matches, I had moments of decline. However, today I made a conscious effort to maintain my focus and prevent my opponent from gaining any momentum.”
Former Coaches:
Biljana Veselinovic
Martic previously worked with Serbian coach Biljana Veselinovic, who has primarily worked with female tennis players from 2011-2019. Veselinovic has coached a number of high-profile players, including Lucie Šafarova, Nadia Petrova, Alize Cornet, Aleksandra Krunić, and Daria Gavrilova. According to Veselinovic, the key to successfully coaching a female athlete is to “listen, listen, listen.”
Sandra Zaniewska
Sandra Zaniewska, born on January 3, 1992, is a Polish tennis coach and former professional player. During her playing career, Zaniewska won ten singles titles and seven doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. In 2009, she was the runner-up in the Australian Open girls’ doubles event, partnering with Aleksandra Krunić. Zaniewska reached a career-high singles ranking of WTA World No. 142 in 2012, the same year she qualified for her only Grand Slam main draw at Wimbledon. Unfortunately, her career was plagued by injuries, and she eventually retired from professional tennis in June 2017.
Martic and Zaniewska initially started working together informally, with Zaniewska providing advice to Martic while transitioning back to her studies. It was during this time that Martic realized the value of Zaniewska’s input and decided to hire her as her full-time coach. Martic appreciated that Zaniewska had a similar playing style and believed she could better understand her game than other, more experienced coaches.
Their unique partnership, characterized by a mutual respect for one another as individuals, rather than solely focusing on their roles as coach and player, played a pivotal role in Martic’s career growth. Despite facing skepticism from the tennis community due to Zaniewska’s youth and inexperience, their collaboration brought Martic impressive results, including a maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance at the 2019 Roland Garros.
In an interview, Martic emphasized the importance of their partnership, saying, “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. But for the last two years, I would say that I’ve really figured out what I want because of her. She helped me find my identity, and only now I see my game as an advantage.”
After working together for a year, Martic and Zaniewska decided not to continue their partnership into 2020. While their time together was relatively short, the impact of their collaboration on Martic’s career and personal growth is undeniable.
Francesca Schiavone
In 2021, Martic hired former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone as her coach for the clay-court season. The pairing seemed to be a perfect fit, as Schiavone’s clay-court expertise helped Martic excel in her performance during the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Martic praised her new coach, stating, “I wanted someone who was an ex-player, someone who fought, who was positive, who just maybe even played similar to me, can understand my game really well.” They ended the partnership after clay season.
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Petra Martic’s achievements with different coaches
We have collected in the table the data about the trophies won by Petra Martic under the guidance of various coaches.
Coaches | Years of Cooperation | Titles |
Michael Geserer | 2021 – | 2022 Ladies Open Lausanne |
Francesca Schiavone | 2021- 2021 | |
Sandra Zaniewska | 2018-2019 | 2019 Istanbul Open |
Biljana Veselinovic | 2017-2018 |