December 28, 2020 • 36 mins
Want to learn the DNA of transitioning from the highest level of professional sports to a second career? Daniela discusses retirement and transition along with the small task of coaching the best to ever play, Roger Federer. Former Top 5 ATP player, Davis Cup Champion, and current Federer coach Ivan Ljubičić joins The Real DNA Podcast for a special look into success in both first and second careers.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello everyone, and welcome to another December episode of our
DNA podcast. It's been fun times having Sir Andy married
just a couple of days ago, and today is no
exception having another amazing guest. I was super excited to
talk to this incredibly smart and funny person at the
same time, someone I still actually consider player for some reason,
(00:24):
I guess because we were on the tour around the
same time. We were neighbors and practicing in the same
club in Monte Carlo for years, and we have actually
retired at the same age as well. So here he
is for you, the one only Eva Lubich, who obviously
is working with the one and only Roger Federer. All right, well, Eva,
(00:47):
thank you so much for your time and we have
not seen you for a very long time. Do you
miss the tour? Do you miss the traveling? Have you
been I've been hiding in the suburbs. I mean I
do miss the real tour. Let's call it that. It's
I miss. I means that. But you know, we I
didn't have a chance really to to even experience this,
(01:09):
this current tour, you know, the COVID tour, because Roger
was out obviously, and you know, even if I wanted
to visit the tournaments, it was impossible. And I wanted
to go to Rome, I wanted to go to Paris,
but it was just not possible because the players they
had there and to rush you know, quite close, so
it was not possible. So yeah, I haven't seen this
these kind of tournaments live. I watched it on TV.
(01:31):
You know, it feels it felt like kind of you know,
not not the real thing, you know, in terms of emotions,
but you know, the guys and girls played played, you know,
and it's good. We had some kind of tour which
was at some point it really didn't look good at all. Yeah,
you're right, Um, you did not miss too much as
(01:52):
far as some kind of atmosphere goals. But it was
good to have tennis back. Life on. So where am
I catching you these days? And what you've been up to? Well,
I mean, Monte Carlo. I'm home. You know, I've been
here since uh well more than twenty years now, so
uh yeah, I'm home. You know, I have I have
quite quite a bit of things going on, and I
(02:13):
have this new new management group that I started in
in the you know, the year the timing was was
was rough. You know, but we we had a good success.
We hired two people, were trying to grow. So it's
been busy, you know. And I spent a few weeks
with Roger as well. He's on his way back. So kids,
you know, always take take time and you know a
lot of spending time with them. So yeah, I mean,
(02:35):
although I'm not traveling as much as I used to,
it's busy. So it's I like it busy. I think
we are very similar that as soon as we retired,
we'd like to keep busy with other things. Just like
you mentioned, from everything that you do and you've done
after your tennis, what has been the most challenging? Is
it the coaching, the TV now your management company challenging?
(02:59):
I mean it's it's a tough it's a tough way
to call it, or you know, challenging. Everything is challenging.
I mean, you know, to to improve Roger, it's a challenge,
you know, to to uh, to you know, start a
new business that you you you know, I didn't go
to school, you know, in order for the management. But uh,
(03:20):
you know, with the with the years and with the
people that you surround yourself, you you you're able to
do it. The TV. I I definitely go to school
to do that. But I I enjoyed, let's say, I
enjoyed every single part of it, you know, everything that
it has to do with tennis, with sports, I enjoy it,
you know. And also back in the days when I
was playing, you know, I was a player council president,
I was a board member. I always wanted to to
(03:43):
know more about about our sport. That's the base, the
tennis and then in the sports in general. How did
you find the balance when you retire and I think
maybe this could be useful for someone that's following us,
you know, just about to finish their first career in
the next couple of years. How do you find the
balance between yes, we have done amazing things on the
(04:05):
court that opened up the door, but at the same
time to have that humbleness that whatever we start, we
are starting from the scratch, even though in the same sport. Yes, no,
but I mean I I never I never, how to say,
I never felt like I was retiring when I when
I stopped playing, you know, I felt like, Okay, this
(04:28):
is done. I'm gonna do something else now. You know.
It's it was not for me, It was not you know,
I'm I'm I'm off, I'm gonna just enjoy my time.
And for me, it was just another step to do
something else and and to be honest, three years before
retiring already I worked with a company that prepares athletes
for the retirements, and this was one one of my
(04:50):
motivations of to start this this sports group. I call
it sports group because really not just management. The management
is one of the things that we do, but it's
a sports group. We have a lot of different people
in the group that help athletes for whatever they need.
And my one of my motivations was this with this
company that I I used and I worked with the
(05:10):
last three years of my career that prepares Actually it's
for the next career, you know, because it is the
tennis I mean, you know, you know what I will
talk about. But for for tennis player, you're going, you practice,
you're gone court, you work, you go on the match,
you win, and you make money. Right, so you have
instant um result of your work in the financial kind
(05:36):
of sense, you know, then everything else is just slower.
Whatever you do after, it's just a lot slower. You
you build things much slower than those things are also
much more solid and they last for longer, but it
was it was a big adjustment, probably the biggest adjustment
for for the tennis player. I think it's general in
(05:57):
your sport that you open hunt the doors and two
of those doors actually give you something you know in
tennis or in the sport you don't have that. You
open the doors of the tennis court, you go any
whin or you don't there. There are no other doors,
and this is where the business is. It's it's just
way different than it took me a time to adjust
to it. I'm so glad you are bringing this up
(06:19):
because I feel like it's so important, like you said,
to start preparing for that while you're playing, while you're
doing the sports, because to me sometimes and it happened
to my case too looking back that I feel like
I played almost for a year two years too long,
because I was a little bit scared to let go,
not knowing what was coming. But like you did yourself
(06:40):
as well, there was the preparation that Okay, you know,
we've got the brain, we've got the work ethics, so
pretty much whatever you do about okay. But I mean
as long as as long as you don't have honestly,
I mean economical need right away. You know, if you
have if you can't afford to invest time into you know,
(07:02):
learning and building up something, it's it's much better. And
this obviously then it depends on how successful your tennis
career was, you know, if you have some some backup,
you know, but you're you're right, you know, if you
put the work in and you you try to understand
and your humble because this is also very important to
understand that you're not starting from where your text career stopped.
(07:23):
You're starting from from the beginning. And I was lucky
really because I really really think I stopped in the
perfect moment, you know. And I never looked back like
it was it too soon or was it too late
hours It was just perfect, you know. And I took
a month off, you know, I had a good summer
that summer two thou twelve, but I was ready to go,
Like I retired in Dubai. You actually, I decided to
(07:47):
not to play anymore. I played one last event in
Monte Carlo in April, and then I went to roll
and gar Us as a tourist and and you know,
and and everybody was like, what are you doing here, said,
what do you mean, what am I doing here? Uh? Like,
I just love this place and I know that I
will be doing something in the sport. It's just that
I'm you know, I'm figuring it out, you know, so
(08:07):
I'm not running away, and I can't wait to run
away from this madness. You know. It was something that
I enjoyed immensely. It's so true. I said that in
my actually retirement statements that I'm not I'm retiring from
the professional part. But we cannot say bye to something
we love. It's our DNA, it's in our heart and
it's going to be always part of our life one
(08:29):
way or the other. Yeah. But I think I think
when when one part is that the young players, you know,
they will listen to us and they said, what they're
talking about because you do get you start loving the sport. Later,
you know, a lot of kids start playing because they
like it, and then there is a period where it
(08:49):
becomes the work and maybe for some maybe too soon
as well. Um, but it becomes a you know, a
lot you know, it's it's there's a lot of pressure,
there is a lot of negative also part of what
you do. But then by the end of your career,
you you go back to loving it. So this is
where where maybe a lot of players, especially younger ones,
(09:11):
they don't they will struggle to understand that part why
everybody who retires from playing and do something else. They
talk about the law for the sport because you with
the time you get understand what it actually really means,
the support to you and for your to your family
and everybody around you. Yeah. Absolutely, I think the appreciation
is at the beginning. Then, like you said, there is
(09:31):
the work part, and then there is a even bigger
appreciation afterwards. And I think one of the biggest adjustments
as well is to understand that you know, in tennis
you have constant results. You do well, you win, you lose,
you do bed, you lose. Where whatever we do now
there is no such feedback right away like in tea,
(09:52):
like with with your business. It's like, okay, am I
doing right or wrong? Like it's more about self just
but I guess yes, we'll trust the process also with
we then you know, again we learned from our tennis
or to our sports. You know, where you you don't know.
You hire a new coach, you don't know if he's
good or bad. You know, on the paper, to city
(10:13):
looks good, you know, for whatever reason, it sounds like
a good idea, but you actually don't know, and you
have to you have to invest time, you know, and
trust the process that we will actually pay off in
the business is the same. It's just as I said,
it's just to take so much longer to actually see
the results. Yeah, it's so true. Um, since you know,
the podcast is called The Real DNA, want to talk
(10:36):
to you about that little bit what as a person
you appreciate the most about yourself and the others as
far as the real values of like whoah, my god,
that's that's a tough one. That's I really don't like
to to to talk about my what I can tell
(10:58):
about what I love about others. Know, it's really to
be open and and and honest and really like I
hate games, you know, I hate backstabbing and these things.
It's it's of course that you know, you can say,
so what are you doing in the management world? You know? So,
but that that's exactly what I what I wanted to bring,
you know, just the straight open how how to say
(11:23):
collaboration or or or or within the place, you know,
just honestly, yes, open conversations, open connection, right, and then
you know that the results can be there cannot be there.
This this part sometimes you just can't control. But for me,
it's this this uh, this being being open. It's it's
(11:45):
really really important, and it's it's not easy. I mean,
it's almost easier as a player to be open. In
the business world, you have to sometimes hide your cards,
but that doesn't mean that you need to lie or
or be dishonest, you know, not at all. So this
is something that I have seen around sports, well not
so much in tennis. Honestly, I really I'm really proud
(12:07):
and happy about in the environment around tennis, there really
not many no bad people, you know. It's it's there
are those businessmens who are harder and and they're they're
gonna do maybe that extra step, maybe more than others.
But I think, I mean you I'm not sure if
you will agree, but I think our it is a
somewhat smaller world. You know, it's quite it's quite pleasant.
(12:31):
You know that there are no I'm happy that I
can walk into the player lounge and look everybody in
the face and say hi and have a coffee with
you know, no matter. You know what what you know
is it there's another player or another coach of another player,
or or agent or another player or whatever that is.
You know, and this for me, it's very very important. Well,
you've been very mild there with yourself because I think,
(12:53):
like you said towards the end, that's the biggest quality
that you've ever had, that you could pretty much go anywhere.
And I think all the players will want to hug
you and and appreciate the goodness that you brought everywhere
you want. And that's just my own personal experience. So
no thanks, thanks, but you know, I was. I was.
Maybe it comes also from the days when I were
(13:14):
representing all the players, you know, in the council and
the board, and I've really tried to help U. And
I see now we have political battles and we will
always have them. You know, it's not something new, you know,
NOA now, we tried to kind of make a step further,
and you know, we all tried it. We all been there,
you know. So it's it's uh. I think the players
(13:37):
and the people in Tennis that they kind of saw
that and one of the one of the nicest, maybe
the nicest moment in my career. Actually happened after I
retired that day in Montsory actually was I think was
the day after in Monte Calo. You know that in
Monte calog there is this player party where it's kind
of closed, where only the players can. I only heard
(13:58):
about it, but I've never been. But I amazing things. Well,
it's it's a it's a special place and a special
moment for for players only and they're very close teams.
But now it's honestly, it's now it's different with the
mobile phones and things. Back in the days it was,
it was even wilder. But anyways, so it was when
when when I retired the day after, we had this
this dinner at this party, and and I went on
(14:20):
stage to to do a part in this acting and
and and and then then I got the standing ovation
from from everybody basically for my career. That was. I
still have chills when I think about it. It was
something that I was probably the most proud of of
all my tennis career, you know, just to see that
the players because for so many years I did so
(14:40):
much and I tried to do as much as I
could to to to help, you know, the players getting
a bigger stake in the game and being you know,
being heard, but you don't actually know if it's appreciated.
You don't know if if it's heard, if it's team
you know, and that that moment gave me a lot
really and it helped me, you know, also gain confidence
two other things after my career. Well, talking about proud
(15:03):
moments in your career, there is one that actually happened
right here where I am at the moment in Barislava,
and we need to David, how special was it? And
also what is it in the air or the water
you guys drink that you have so many incredible players
coming literally from you know, this little place in the world,
(15:25):
just like it is for us. Yeah, well, it's uh,
this persial place. I mean, it was a couple of
couple of days ago, a few days ago. It was
fifteen years anniversary actually, and I couldn't believe it's fifteen years.
It's it's so much that it was. It was incredible.
I mean all that year, the entire though, those two
couple of I mean two thousands, thousand six and part
(15:46):
of two thousand seven was like one big blur for
me because all of a sudden I started to win everything.
I mean that I could obviously, other than Rough and
Roger that it was, you know, the doors were shot
over there. But our I reasoned, I'm between in the world.
I wanted Davis cuple I want so many events. I
played the finals, you know, like things just started to happen.
And it happened when I was seven, you know, so
(16:09):
it didn't happen at the beginning of my career where
you think like, okay, this is somewhat normal. I'm good.
It happened kind of later, so I got to appreciate it,
maybe even more. But Davis Cup was the first round
we played in US against I guess the Erodic and
Bryan brothers, which you know, we we thought, okay, that's done,
but we managed to win that one, and then all
of a sudden, we started believing that we can actually
(16:30):
go all the way in Slovakia, be Argentina and also
other big teams. So it was the first ever and
I think probably by by now the only finals to
unseeded teams. And I was crazy and and uh yeah
we wont the last match at to all Anti bit
Martin jac and I again, I don't remember much after
(16:52):
the match. I just remember us going back the day after,
we went back to Croatia and there was I don't
know now how much, but about like fifty people waiting
for us at the main square. That was That was crazy.
And this is one of the regrets I have, is
that we did not celebrate that title enough or properly actually,
because we came back to Grazia, we had this welcoming
(17:15):
and then then everybody just kind of went home, you know,
So this is this is a small regret I have.
What is it about David's cover fed Cab Because I
don't know how it is for you, but for me,
winning fed Cup was definitely the highlight of my career
because it was for everyone at home. What is it
that we feel like this about? But I don't know.
(17:35):
I mean it is you feel like you're you're playing
for for the country. You know, you play for the people.
You feel you don't play it for yourself because you
cannot win it by yourself, so you you just feel
like also the the media and everybody it's more behind you.
You know that it feels like people almost care, not almost,
but they do care more if you win. When you're
(17:56):
representing the country. Then when you win, just representing yourself.
So this is something that I struggled at the beginning
of my career, you know, with this pressure. It was
just different that I couldn't I didn't understand it was different,
you know. But later I figured it out and I
used this pressure called pressure but the crowd, but also
in my advantage. But it took time. It was not automatic.
(18:19):
I feel like we could just talk about your career
for another three hours, but I know you don't have
as much time. So I want to go to a
question that I'm dying to actually ask myself, what did
you think when Roger called you up to ask you
to coach him? Um? I would I would literally I
think freakouts, start to run, drop my phone. I don't know.
(18:42):
How did you feel? And how long did it take
you to actually commit to it? Oh? No, it took
me two seconds. I mean, it's not but you know,
for me it was was of course. I mean, you
say yes, it's not. It's not a question of yes
or not. But for me it was important to understand
also what his goals war and what was his restaurant,
(19:04):
what he's thinking because we were friends and we asked
the friends, of course, but we were close friends, you know,
even before, so you know, and but we never really
talked about tennis as much. You know, so I knew
everything about him, but I didn't know specifically the tennis part,
you know, what what his expectations are, what his beliefs are,
and and for me, you know, I just wanted to
(19:26):
make sure that we we have the same um how
to say, same goals, you know. And I always felt
like he was he underperformed, you know, those those few
years between two thousand and ten, and uh not underperformed,
but the results he doeserves more, he doeserves better, you know.
And I wanted to try to help to to bring
(19:47):
bring bring those ground slams back. And you know, we
were lucky enough to be able to, I mean, win
three actually, which was amazing at the time. You know,
when you when you don't win, you you feel like
it's almost impossible. But then you know, then they kept
coming one after another. Was was crazy? Was it? I
wouldn't use the word intimidating, because, like you said, you
guys known in the each other for so long. But
(20:09):
having that first practice session, you know, we are talking
about the grades in the game, like what do you
go and say, okay, well and your knees a little
bit more use the worst I mean, where do It
was one of the it was one of the no
But I have to I have to say, I have
to say that Roger helped me a lot. I mean,
(20:30):
he he knows that, you know he, I mean you
know him also quite well. You know he's he's very
humble and very easy going, so he knows that it
would it would be for sure a little bit awkward
first practice or first two practices, but he made sure
that it wasn't. So it was not a problem at all.
(20:50):
We were in Dubai and you know, the weather was nice,
everything was nice, and we just kind of we had
the time, you know, because you have we had a
month basically of preparation for the new season. So it
was it was quite quite quite easy. You know that
the bigger the bigger, the bigger problem is that how
do you improve that machine? You know, that's that's that's
(21:10):
a bigger problem, you know. But yeah, it's just take
the day by day and you know, you just um, yeah,
say what you think as as as open as you can. Yeah,
it's that honestly that you mentioned earlier. Um, is that
something that surprised you that obviously, like you said, we
know each other for so long, but you know when
(21:31):
you started to work with him, it's like, wow, Okay,
I didn't expect that in a good or bad way. No, no, no,
because we we used to spend a lot of time together.
Families you know, are very close even more so, you know,
so it would be shocking that there was something surprising there,
you know. So no, no, not really, I mean it
(21:52):
was it was quite quite smooth, you know, and and
of course that there is no first of show and
open um. It was you know, the first tournament he played,
he lost in the final two to Roundage in in Brisbane,
which was awkward because I coached Roundage before him, of course. Um.
And then after Shan Open he got injured that first
surgery he had, so it was rocky starts, you know,
(22:13):
but we picked it up later. It was you know,
it was it just took took time to to to
get going. And maybe also that injury gave us also
time to spend more time on the court together and
and get get get to know each other a bit more.
You know. We have to also take some of the
questions from the fence. This is actually the first question.
(22:35):
I'm gonna follow what I wrote down because I just
kept jetting to um and I thought it was very
interesting question. This is more on a coaching in general.
How how much do you think coach should be involved
with the player? Of course in a in a normal life,
you know how, because it's important to know, you know,
(22:56):
what the player goes through, but at the same time
to let him her keep that space. Um well, I
think it has to depend on the player, you know. Also,
I think female and male it's also a bit different.
I mean I never coached a girl. Uh, I would
think that maybe, I mean, you you can help us
(23:17):
a bit more here. But I feel like it's a
bit more difficult not to know anything on the on
the female side because but I may be wrong. I'm
just guessing on the men's side. You know, the more
mature the player is, the less you need to be involved,
you know. But again, I think the coaching, it's not
(23:38):
just the time spent on court, it's it's also the dinners,
that the car trips, the flights together, and you know,
there's so many topics that you can touch because it's
not you know, hit the back end like this and
then all of a sudden you make a player. You know,
it's it's a mindset. Is is the way of thinking,
way of living, the way of you know, making decisions,
(24:00):
all of that. So coaching is it's not just you know,
shots and things like this. So I feel like it's
almost inevitable that there is some some way of some
some sort of interaction between you know, what was happening
outside and on the court. Yeah, I think just to
follow that on the woman's story, were totally right. I
(24:21):
think actually most of the work gets done of the
court because with the girls it's always about the emotions
and it's mental And when I had that good connection
outside of the court and I was happy with my life,
I think in a way guys are able to maybe
cut that out when they get on the court where
the girls seems like, at least in my case, it
(24:43):
was like I couldn't really divide my personal life and
then my tennis life were bringing the whole package on
the court pretty much. You know, sometimes stuff to run
with a heavy bag. So I think that's where the
coach has to make sure that at least most of
the bag space outside of the court. And I think
that's why in a way, the woman's coaching it's more
(25:06):
I guess psychology than anything else. No, no, but you know,
I also especially on with with with the with the
more experienced players. You know, I really don't like when
I hear commentators, you know, I don't know, somebody starts
working with a guy and the last laught like three
weeks is are you can see because of this back
(25:28):
and you can see the work of the coach. It's
not really like that, you know. And most of the times,
or if ever, you can't really know you know, the
work because the guys a female or male, it doesn't
really matter. You don't really change, like visibly the way
you hit the ball, or sometimes not not even the
(25:48):
way you you play. You know, it's it's a lot
deeper inside. It's it's a lot more than that. It's
it's a conviction, it's a confidence, it's there's so many
other things that the coach can bring to the players
that are really not you know, maybe visible to the
to the audience. And this is very difficult to understand
sometimes and rightly so. Coaches are you know, all the
(26:12):
players are not crazy to talk about it openly because
this is something that happens, you know, and between the
players and the coach. Yeah, it's always such a I
don't know, I found it very difficult, like you said,
when we got those questions, Uh you know about it's
it's almost what did you bring made relationship that you
don't want to be sharing with you know, with the public,
(26:35):
with the other players, because it's what makes you strong
at the end of the day. So um, yeah, what
have you what what is helping you now as a
coach that as a player you realize like, Okay, if
I ever coach, I'm never ever gonna do that. Or
(26:56):
what was annoying you when you had a coach and
I'm sure you had a great relationship that you tried
to avoid. For example, me, it was like, well when
someone told me during the match, like fight, I'm like, well,
I'm fighting, Like that's why I'm here. Well there are
two things, yeah, when I was playing, and there were
(27:16):
two things that that kind of got to my nerves. Uh.
One it's regarding my wife, mostly because she would cheer
me up when I lose a point and I don't
need that, you know, I need I need the like
support when things are going well, and I know it
sounds weird, but nothing sounds player. Yeah, I know exactly.
(27:38):
So like I things are bad, I know I have
to fight, and it's it's it's like I have that,
you know, I'm gonna try to dig out of this,
you know, by myself. I'm fine, you know, I don't
need your mercy or I have to say you're you're yes,
I know what you mean, doing story for me, you know,
like some something like this. Uh, that's one thing. And
(27:59):
the second thing, I like, when I would finish the match,
doesn't matter if I winn lose. I needed time for myself,
like I needed ten fifteen minutes, just not talk to anybody,
not to hear anybody. And you know, my coach, Ricardo Piatti,
he struggles with not talking, you know, so he would
storm in and you know, and he gets excited, especially
(28:20):
when when I when I would play good matches, you know, yeah,
and then you know this WASNA said, just please just
you know that we're working together for fifteen years, Just
give me five minutes, just five minutes, you know, and
he would be so excited that he just couldn't control himself.
So I tried. I tried to you know, when when
when I would you know, I coached to Mills and
(28:41):
and and and Roger, and you know what, you know,
I don't know what the player wants. You know that
you want to talk right after or or you don't
want to sleep over. And because there are two different conversations.
If you speak right after the match, you analyze all
the emotions because you're very emotional after the match. But
if you spick the day after, you talk about tactical,
(29:02):
technical or whatever it's strategy. You know, it's more cold
kind of conversation, you know. So I I I always
preferred as a player, I preferred colder conversations, you know,
But some players just you know, prefer to know right
away because this is my feeling that I'm bringing up
from the board, So um, yeah, I want to talk now.
So it depends. But as a coach, I would not accept,
(29:25):
you know, the players talking bad to me and I
would just get you know, I would just literally walk
off the right. For me, this is something that I
am most discussed from this younger generation because for me,
it's such a lack of respect and and such a
bad behavior that you know, with the older guys, you do.
You talk about it, and it was like, how how
(29:48):
did you even get here? How this became normal? Because
you know, like back in the days you respect the coach.
You can't you can't do this, like it's not possible,
you know. So so this is something that I'm just like,
this is a no gol, this is not gonna happen,
you know. So Luckily, you know, with with about Millers,
you know, he was able, he had you know that
(30:10):
this rough matention moment, but he never talked bad to me,
and then and Rogers not you know, but this is
something that I would not I would just not be
able to to happen. Yeah, you're so right about the
time went to talk to the player after the match.
And I was the same at the beginning where I
wanted to know everything right away, and then I when
I worked with Carlos Rodriguez, he always wanted to the
(30:34):
earliest to discuss was in the evening, in the hotel
or the next morning, and then I always found such
a more mature conversation. So I think a little bit
more time definitely help you. You you have there is
a danger that you will forget a few things that
you maybe you would have said, by the way, so
there is pros and cons on votes. Again, even I
(30:54):
know you're super busy. So just last two questions. First
of all, um, you retired after fourteen years on the tour.
If I'm correct, I retired after nineteen, and I think
for both of us there was a very long time
in that time. What that Roger Raphae Novak and the
(31:21):
why are they able to play so much longer? What
is it that they know we didn't know? Is it
a recovery the physios or why do you think in
sports in general, because it's not just tennis at the
age just gets shifted, shifts a little bit more. Well, well,
first of all, I would I would return The question
is that why not? Like I feel like maybe we
(31:45):
could have played longer if we thought that it was possible,
you know, like it was almost normal to retire at
three thre four When I retired, you know, it was
just not. I think it's just that guys just kind
of tried to push and then to realize they actually can,
you know, because I cannot say I'm forty one now
and I'm you know, obviously out of shape. But I
(32:08):
feel like if I would go back to practice, I
would be competitive somewhat. So um. Definitely, of course we
have UM nutrition we have when you have we know
more about, you know, what we eat, what we drink,
we know more about. On the fitness side, definitely there's
more information as what what not to do. You know,
(32:28):
this is very important. UM. Tennis wise, we never really
stopped because we didn't like to play tennis, you know,
so um And obviously, I mean there's also financial part
where the prize money and the earnings now are so
high that you know, you just keep It's just kind
of more logical to play longer, you know. When I retired,
(32:51):
I mean honestly, I can say that I was not
making any money, you know, so for me playing not playing,
it didn't make any any financial difference, you know, traveling
two kids, uh any because you have to you have
to have one if you have two kids, and the
coach and the physio and myself, it was just so
much money and and so it was it was not there.
(33:12):
There was not even even that there. You know. Now
it's a bit different because people maybe don't realize what
happened in tennis last uh ten years, you know. Um.
On on the financial side, you know, there was really
a huge shift, and and and and I'm all for that.
(33:32):
The players are keep pushing and they want more because
they deserve a lot more than they're getting. But also
there was a massive change, you know. And then the
guys if you look at the prize money rankings, you know,
in two thousand ten, maybe and now I'm shooting I
don't know this information, but maybe number twelve in the
world was making a millionaire. Number fifty mikes a million,
(33:52):
you know. So there's a lot more people who make
more money. It is better tour than two tours, are healthier.
So the players, the players just keep playing. And and again,
I'll come back to the first point, which I think
is the most important one. Why not you know, I
think that the guys are showing garagers and raffles of
the world are showing everybody it can be done, so
so they just just go for it. It's such a
(34:13):
good point that so I think doing the math. We
retired around the same time thirty four, and that felt like, Okay,
this is the right time, Like I should not be
playing any longer because it's embarrassing. Where now it's like right,
It was like no that this is like I cannot
look at my age and like you said, like I'm
sure if it's right now, you know, physically we were fine.
(34:36):
We love the sport, but it's like it's not supposed
to be any longer than this is like now our
time is done. And talking about time the very last question,
please please please, can you confirm my theory they're doing
TV is harder than playing because no one wants to
believe me that how long the hours can be and
how tough it is is. There are some I mean,
(35:00):
I had I had fun. I have to say I
was I was doing. I have to say that I
was doing more the studios pre and post matches, you know,
than than actually commentating. Commentating matches can be can be long,
you know, because best of five sometimes you know, there
are some matches that you're really trying to squeeze last
(35:21):
drop out of that lemon. It's not simple. Um yeah,
I mean, I know what you're talking about, and you
you know, and if you say something wrong, you know
it's gonna be on Twitter, Facebook, in the papers and
you have four hours you're talking and you have to
(35:42):
be really careful. So it's not simple at all. Well,
if even let's finish on this great No, I feel
like we could talk for another two hours, but we're
doing great things. We can do. We can do the
second second part in the future. Okay, well, I really
appreciate it and I would love to take on that
(36:03):
um sometime in the fields. And yeah, well, um, good
luck with first of all, now the young players that
you are working with at the moment, and let's hope
we can see you on the tour very soon with
Roger as well. And uh, obviously very merry Christmas. Thank you,
(36:24):
thank you for having me all the best guys. Thanks.
I hope you have enjoyed today's episode and getting to
know my guests a bit better. If you feel like it,
to subscribe to us so you don't miss any of
the action. Also, let me know your comments or suggestions
on my social media channels, and have a lovely rest
of your day. By
Hello everyone, and welcome to another December episode of our
DNA podcast. It's been fun times having Sir Andy married
just a couple of days ago, and today is no
exception having another amazing guest. I was super excited to
talk to this incredibly smart and funny person at the
same time, someone I still actually consider player for some reason,
(00:24):
I guess because we were on the tour around the
same time. We were neighbors and practicing in the same
club in Monte Carlo for years, and we have actually
retired at the same age as well. So here he
is for you, the one only Eva Lubich, who obviously
is working with the one and only Roger Federer. All right, well, Eva,
(00:47):
thank you so much for your time and we have
not seen you for a very long time. Do you
miss the tour? Do you miss the traveling? Have you
been I've been hiding in the suburbs. I mean I
do miss the real tour. Let's call it that. It's
I miss. I means that. But you know, we I
didn't have a chance really to to even experience this,
(01:09):
this current tour, you know, the COVID tour, because Roger
was out obviously, and you know, even if I wanted
to visit the tournaments, it was impossible. And I wanted
to go to Rome, I wanted to go to Paris,
but it was just not possible because the players they
had there and to rush you know, quite close, so
it was not possible. So yeah, I haven't seen this
these kind of tournaments live. I watched it on TV.
(01:31):
You know, it feels it felt like kind of you know,
not not the real thing, you know, in terms of emotions,
but you know, the guys and girls played played, you know,
and it's good. We had some kind of tour which
was at some point it really didn't look good at all. Yeah,
you're right, Um, you did not miss too much as
(01:52):
far as some kind of atmosphere goals. But it was
good to have tennis back. Life on. So where am
I catching you these days? And what you've been up to? Well,
I mean, Monte Carlo. I'm home. You know, I've been
here since uh well more than twenty years now, so
uh yeah, I'm home. You know, I have I have
quite quite a bit of things going on, and I
(02:13):
have this new new management group that I started in
in the you know, the year the timing was was
was rough. You know, but we we had a good success.
We hired two people, were trying to grow. So it's
been busy, you know. And I spent a few weeks
with Roger as well. He's on his way back. So kids,
you know, always take take time and you know a
lot of spending time with them. So yeah, I mean,
(02:35):
although I'm not traveling as much as I used to,
it's busy. So it's I like it busy. I think
we are very similar that as soon as we retired,
we'd like to keep busy with other things. Just like
you mentioned, from everything that you do and you've done
after your tennis, what has been the most challenging? Is
it the coaching, the TV now your management company challenging?
(02:59):
I mean it's it's a tough it's a tough way
to call it, or you know, challenging. Everything is challenging.
I mean, you know, to to improve Roger, it's a challenge,
you know, to to uh, to you know, start a
new business that you you you know, I didn't go
to school, you know, in order for the management. But uh,
(03:20):
you know, with the with the years and with the
people that you surround yourself, you you you're able to
do it. The TV. I I definitely go to school
to do that. But I I enjoyed, let's say, I
enjoyed every single part of it, you know, everything that
it has to do with tennis, with sports, I enjoy it,
you know. And also back in the days when I
was playing, you know, I was a player council president,
I was a board member. I always wanted to to
(03:43):
know more about about our sport. That's the base, the
tennis and then in the sports in general. How did
you find the balance when you retire and I think
maybe this could be useful for someone that's following us,
you know, just about to finish their first career in
the next couple of years. How do you find the
balance between yes, we have done amazing things on the
(04:05):
court that opened up the door, but at the same
time to have that humbleness that whatever we start, we
are starting from the scratch, even though in the same sport. Yes, no,
but I mean I I never I never, how to say,
I never felt like I was retiring when I when
I stopped playing, you know, I felt like, Okay, this
(04:28):
is done. I'm gonna do something else now. You know.
It's it was not for me, It was not you know,
I'm I'm I'm off, I'm gonna just enjoy my time.
And for me, it was just another step to do
something else and and to be honest, three years before
retiring already I worked with a company that prepares athletes
for the retirements, and this was one one of my
(04:50):
motivations of to start this this sports group. I call
it sports group because really not just management. The management
is one of the things that we do, but it's
a sports group. We have a lot of different people
in the group that help athletes for whatever they need.
And my one of my motivations was this with this
company that I I used and I worked with the
(05:10):
last three years of my career that prepares Actually it's
for the next career, you know, because it is the
tennis I mean, you know, you know what I will
talk about. But for for tennis player, you're going, you practice,
you're gone court, you work, you go on the match,
you win, and you make money. Right, so you have
instant um result of your work in the financial kind
(05:36):
of sense, you know, then everything else is just slower.
Whatever you do after, it's just a lot slower. You
you build things much slower than those things are also
much more solid and they last for longer, but it
was it was a big adjustment, probably the biggest adjustment
for for the tennis player. I think it's general in
(05:57):
your sport that you open hunt the doors and two
of those doors actually give you something you know in
tennis or in the sport you don't have that. You
open the doors of the tennis court, you go any
whin or you don't there. There are no other doors,
and this is where the business is. It's it's just
way different than it took me a time to adjust
to it. I'm so glad you are bringing this up
(06:19):
because I feel like it's so important, like you said,
to start preparing for that while you're playing, while you're
doing the sports, because to me sometimes and it happened
to my case too looking back that I feel like
I played almost for a year two years too long,
because I was a little bit scared to let go,
not knowing what was coming. But like you did yourself
(06:40):
as well, there was the preparation that Okay, you know,
we've got the brain, we've got the work ethics, so
pretty much whatever you do about okay. But I mean
as long as as long as you don't have honestly,
I mean economical need right away. You know, if you
have if you can't afford to invest time into you know,
(07:02):
learning and building up something, it's it's much better. And
this obviously then it depends on how successful your tennis
career was, you know, if you have some some backup,
you know, but you're you're right, you know, if you
put the work in and you you try to understand
and your humble because this is also very important to
understand that you're not starting from where your text career stopped.
(07:23):
You're starting from from the beginning. And I was lucky
really because I really really think I stopped in the
perfect moment, you know. And I never looked back like
it was it too soon or was it too late
hours It was just perfect, you know. And I took
a month off, you know, I had a good summer
that summer two thou twelve, but I was ready to go,
Like I retired in Dubai. You actually, I decided to
(07:47):
not to play anymore. I played one last event in
Monte Carlo in April, and then I went to roll
and gar Us as a tourist and and you know,
and and everybody was like, what are you doing here, said,
what do you mean, what am I doing here? Uh? Like,
I just love this place and I know that I
will be doing something in the sport. It's just that
I'm you know, I'm figuring it out, you know, so
(08:07):
I'm not running away, and I can't wait to run
away from this madness. You know. It was something that
I enjoyed immensely. It's so true. I said that in
my actually retirement statements that I'm not I'm retiring from
the professional part. But we cannot say bye to something
we love. It's our DNA, it's in our heart and
it's going to be always part of our life one
(08:29):
way or the other. Yeah. But I think I think
when when one part is that the young players, you know,
they will listen to us and they said, what they're
talking about because you do get you start loving the sport. Later,
you know, a lot of kids start playing because they
like it, and then there is a period where it
(08:49):
becomes the work and maybe for some maybe too soon
as well. Um, but it becomes a you know, a
lot you know, it's it's there's a lot of pressure,
there is a lot of negative also part of what
you do. But then by the end of your career,
you you go back to loving it. So this is
where where maybe a lot of players, especially younger ones,
(09:11):
they don't they will struggle to understand that part why
everybody who retires from playing and do something else. They
talk about the law for the sport because you with
the time you get understand what it actually really means,
the support to you and for your to your family
and everybody around you. Yeah. Absolutely, I think the appreciation
is at the beginning. Then, like you said, there is
(09:31):
the work part, and then there is a even bigger
appreciation afterwards. And I think one of the biggest adjustments
as well is to understand that you know, in tennis
you have constant results. You do well, you win, you lose,
you do bed, you lose. Where whatever we do now
there is no such feedback right away like in tea,
(09:52):
like with with your business. It's like, okay, am I
doing right or wrong? Like it's more about self just
but I guess yes, we'll trust the process also with
we then you know, again we learned from our tennis
or to our sports. You know, where you you don't know.
You hire a new coach, you don't know if he's
good or bad. You know, on the paper, to city
(10:13):
looks good, you know, for whatever reason, it sounds like
a good idea, but you actually don't know, and you
have to you have to invest time, you know, and
trust the process that we will actually pay off in
the business is the same. It's just as I said,
it's just to take so much longer to actually see
the results. Yeah, it's so true. Um, since you know,
the podcast is called The Real DNA, want to talk
(10:36):
to you about that little bit what as a person
you appreciate the most about yourself and the others as
far as the real values of like whoah, my god,
that's that's a tough one. That's I really don't like
to to to talk about my what I can tell
(10:58):
about what I love about others. Know, it's really to
be open and and and honest and really like I
hate games, you know, I hate backstabbing and these things.
It's it's of course that you know, you can say,
so what are you doing in the management world? You know? So,
but that that's exactly what I what I wanted to bring,
you know, just the straight open how how to say
(11:23):
collaboration or or or or within the place, you know,
just honestly, yes, open conversations, open connection, right, and then
you know that the results can be there cannot be there.
This this part sometimes you just can't control. But for me,
it's this this uh, this being being open. It's it's
(11:45):
really really important, and it's it's not easy. I mean,
it's almost easier as a player to be open. In
the business world, you have to sometimes hide your cards,
but that doesn't mean that you need to lie or
or be dishonest, you know, not at all. So this
is something that I have seen around sports, well not
so much in tennis. Honestly, I really I'm really proud
(12:07):
and happy about in the environment around tennis, there really
not many no bad people, you know. It's it's there
are those businessmens who are harder and and they're they're
gonna do maybe that extra step, maybe more than others.
But I think, I mean you I'm not sure if
you will agree, but I think our it is a
somewhat smaller world. You know, it's quite it's quite pleasant.
(12:31):
You know that there are no I'm happy that I
can walk into the player lounge and look everybody in
the face and say hi and have a coffee with
you know, no matter. You know what what you know
is it there's another player or another coach of another player,
or or agent or another player or whatever that is.
You know, and this for me, it's very very important. Well,
you've been very mild there with yourself because I think,
(12:53):
like you said towards the end, that's the biggest quality
that you've ever had, that you could pretty much go anywhere.
And I think all the players will want to hug
you and and appreciate the goodness that you brought everywhere
you want. And that's just my own personal experience. So
no thanks, thanks, but you know, I was. I was.
Maybe it comes also from the days when I were
(13:14):
representing all the players, you know, in the council and
the board, and I've really tried to help U. And
I see now we have political battles and we will
always have them. You know, it's not something new, you know,
NOA now, we tried to kind of make a step further,
and you know, we all tried it. We all been there,
you know. So it's it's uh. I think the players
(13:37):
and the people in Tennis that they kind of saw
that and one of the one of the nicest, maybe
the nicest moment in my career. Actually happened after I
retired that day in Montsory actually was I think was
the day after in Monte Calo. You know that in
Monte calog there is this player party where it's kind
of closed, where only the players can. I only heard
(13:58):
about it, but I've never been. But I amazing things. Well,
it's it's a it's a special place and a special
moment for for players only and they're very close teams.
But now it's honestly, it's now it's different with the
mobile phones and things. Back in the days it was,
it was even wilder. But anyways, so it was when
when when I retired the day after, we had this
this dinner at this party, and and I went on
(14:20):
stage to to do a part in this acting and
and and and then then I got the standing ovation
from from everybody basically for my career. That was. I
still have chills when I think about it. It was
something that I was probably the most proud of of
all my tennis career, you know, just to see that
the players because for so many years I did so
(14:40):
much and I tried to do as much as I
could to to to help, you know, the players getting
a bigger stake in the game and being you know,
being heard, but you don't actually know if it's appreciated.
You don't know if if it's heard, if it's team
you know, and that that moment gave me a lot
really and it helped me, you know, also gain confidence
two other things after my career. Well, talking about proud
(15:03):
moments in your career, there is one that actually happened
right here where I am at the moment in Barislava,
and we need to David, how special was it? And
also what is it in the air or the water
you guys drink that you have so many incredible players
coming literally from you know, this little place in the world,
(15:25):
just like it is for us. Yeah, well, it's uh,
this persial place. I mean, it was a couple of
couple of days ago, a few days ago. It was
fifteen years anniversary actually, and I couldn't believe it's fifteen years.
It's it's so much that it was. It was incredible.
I mean all that year, the entire though, those two
couple of I mean two thousands, thousand six and part
(15:46):
of two thousand seven was like one big blur for
me because all of a sudden I started to win everything.
I mean that I could obviously, other than Rough and
Roger that it was, you know, the doors were shot
over there. But our I reasoned, I'm between in the world.
I wanted Davis cuple I want so many events. I
played the finals, you know, like things just started to happen.
And it happened when I was seven, you know, so
(16:09):
it didn't happen at the beginning of my career where
you think like, okay, this is somewhat normal. I'm good.
It happened kind of later, so I got to appreciate it,
maybe even more. But Davis Cup was the first round
we played in US against I guess the Erodic and
Bryan brothers, which you know, we we thought, okay, that's done,
but we managed to win that one, and then all
of a sudden, we started believing that we can actually
(16:30):
go all the way in Slovakia, be Argentina and also
other big teams. So it was the first ever and
I think probably by by now the only finals to
unseeded teams. And I was crazy and and uh yeah
we wont the last match at to all Anti bit
Martin jac and I again, I don't remember much after
(16:52):
the match. I just remember us going back the day after,
we went back to Croatia and there was I don't
know now how much, but about like fifty people waiting
for us at the main square. That was That was crazy.
And this is one of the regrets I have, is
that we did not celebrate that title enough or properly actually,
because we came back to Grazia, we had this welcoming
(17:15):
and then then everybody just kind of went home, you know,
So this is this is a small regret I have.
What is it about David's cover fed Cab Because I
don't know how it is for you, but for me,
winning fed Cup was definitely the highlight of my career
because it was for everyone at home. What is it
that we feel like this about? But I don't know.
(17:35):
I mean it is you feel like you're you're playing
for for the country. You know, you play for the people.
You feel you don't play it for yourself because you
cannot win it by yourself, so you you just feel
like also the the media and everybody it's more behind you.
You know that it feels like people almost care, not almost,
but they do care more if you win. When you're
(17:56):
representing the country. Then when you win, just representing yourself.
So this is something that I struggled at the beginning
of my career, you know, with this pressure. It was
just different that I couldn't I didn't understand it was different,
you know. But later I figured it out and I
used this pressure called pressure but the crowd, but also
in my advantage. But it took time. It was not automatic.
(18:19):
I feel like we could just talk about your career
for another three hours, but I know you don't have
as much time. So I want to go to a
question that I'm dying to actually ask myself, what did
you think when Roger called you up to ask you
to coach him? Um? I would I would literally I
think freakouts, start to run, drop my phone. I don't know.
(18:42):
How did you feel? And how long did it take
you to actually commit to it? Oh? No, it took
me two seconds. I mean, it's not but you know,
for me it was was of course. I mean, you
say yes, it's not. It's not a question of yes
or not. But for me it was important to understand
also what his goals war and what was his restaurant,
(19:04):
what he's thinking because we were friends and we asked
the friends, of course, but we were close friends, you know,
even before, so you know, and but we never really
talked about tennis as much. You know, so I knew
everything about him, but I didn't know specifically the tennis part,
you know, what what his expectations are, what his beliefs are,
and and for me, you know, I just wanted to
(19:26):
make sure that we we have the same um how
to say, same goals, you know. And I always felt
like he was he underperformed, you know, those those few
years between two thousand and ten, and uh not underperformed,
but the results he doeserves more, he doeserves better, you know.
And I wanted to try to help to to bring
(19:47):
bring bring those ground slams back. And you know, we
were lucky enough to be able to, I mean, win
three actually, which was amazing at the time. You know,
when you when you don't win, you you feel like
it's almost impossible. But then you know, then they kept
coming one after another. Was was crazy? Was it? I
wouldn't use the word intimidating, because, like you said, you
guys known in the each other for so long. But
(20:09):
having that first practice session, you know, we are talking
about the grades in the game, like what do you
go and say, okay, well and your knees a little
bit more use the worst I mean, where do It
was one of the it was one of the no
But I have to I have to say, I have
to say that Roger helped me a lot. I mean,
(20:30):
he he knows that, you know he, I mean you
know him also quite well. You know he's he's very
humble and very easy going, so he knows that it
would it would be for sure a little bit awkward
first practice or first two practices, but he made sure
that it wasn't. So it was not a problem at all.
(20:50):
We were in Dubai and you know, the weather was nice,
everything was nice, and we just kind of we had
the time, you know, because you have we had a
month basically of preparation for the new season. So it
was it was quite quite quite easy. You know that
the bigger the bigger, the bigger problem is that how
do you improve that machine? You know, that's that's that's
(21:10):
a bigger problem, you know. But yeah, it's just take
the day by day and you know, you just um, yeah,
say what you think as as as open as you can. Yeah,
it's that honestly that you mentioned earlier. Um, is that
something that surprised you that obviously, like you said, we
know each other for so long, but you know when
(21:31):
you started to work with him, it's like, wow, Okay,
I didn't expect that in a good or bad way. No, no, no,
because we we used to spend a lot of time together.
Families you know, are very close even more so, you know,
so it would be shocking that there was something surprising there,
you know. So no, no, not really, I mean it
(21:52):
was it was quite quite smooth, you know, and and
of course that there is no first of show and
open um. It was you know, the first tournament he played,
he lost in the final two to Roundage in in Brisbane,
which was awkward because I coached Roundage before him, of course. Um.
And then after Shan Open he got injured that first
surgery he had, so it was rocky starts, you know,
(22:13):
but we picked it up later. It was you know,
it was it just took took time to to to
get going. And maybe also that injury gave us also
time to spend more time on the court together and
and get get get to know each other a bit more.
You know. We have to also take some of the
questions from the fence. This is actually the first question.
(22:35):
I'm gonna follow what I wrote down because I just
kept jetting to um and I thought it was very
interesting question. This is more on a coaching in general.
How how much do you think coach should be involved
with the player? Of course in a in a normal life,
you know how, because it's important to know, you know,
(22:56):
what the player goes through, but at the same time
to let him her keep that space. Um well, I
think it has to depend on the player, you know. Also,
I think female and male it's also a bit different.
I mean I never coached a girl. Uh, I would
think that maybe, I mean, you you can help us
(23:17):
a bit more here. But I feel like it's a
bit more difficult not to know anything on the on
the female side because but I may be wrong. I'm
just guessing on the men's side. You know, the more
mature the player is, the less you need to be involved,
you know. But again, I think the coaching, it's not
(23:38):
just the time spent on court, it's it's also the dinners,
that the car trips, the flights together, and you know,
there's so many topics that you can touch because it's
not you know, hit the back end like this and
then all of a sudden you make a player. You know,
it's it's a mindset. Is is the way of thinking,
way of living, the way of you know, making decisions,
(24:00):
all of that. So coaching is it's not just you know,
shots and things like this. So I feel like it's
almost inevitable that there is some some way of some
some sort of interaction between you know, what was happening
outside and on the court. Yeah, I think just to
follow that on the woman's story, were totally right. I
(24:21):
think actually most of the work gets done of the
court because with the girls it's always about the emotions
and it's mental And when I had that good connection
outside of the court and I was happy with my life,
I think in a way guys are able to maybe
cut that out when they get on the court where
the girls seems like, at least in my case, it
(24:43):
was like I couldn't really divide my personal life and
then my tennis life were bringing the whole package on
the court pretty much. You know, sometimes stuff to run
with a heavy bag. So I think that's where the
coach has to make sure that at least most of
the bag space outside of the court. And I think
that's why in a way, the woman's coaching it's more
(25:06):
I guess psychology than anything else. No, no, but you know,
I also especially on with with with the with the
more experienced players. You know, I really don't like when
I hear commentators, you know, I don't know, somebody starts
working with a guy and the last laught like three
weeks is are you can see because of this back
(25:28):
and you can see the work of the coach. It's
not really like that, you know. And most of the times,
or if ever, you can't really know you know, the
work because the guys a female or male, it doesn't
really matter. You don't really change, like visibly the way
you hit the ball, or sometimes not not even the
(25:48):
way you you play. You know, it's it's a lot
deeper inside. It's it's a lot more than that. It's
it's a conviction, it's a confidence, it's there's so many
other things that the coach can bring to the players
that are really not you know, maybe visible to the
to the audience. And this is very difficult to understand
sometimes and rightly so. Coaches are you know, all the
(26:12):
players are not crazy to talk about it openly because
this is something that happens, you know, and between the
players and the coach. Yeah, it's always such a I
don't know, I found it very difficult, like you said,
when we got those questions, Uh you know about it's
it's almost what did you bring made relationship that you
don't want to be sharing with you know, with the public,
(26:35):
with the other players, because it's what makes you strong
at the end of the day. So um, yeah, what
have you what what is helping you now as a
coach that as a player you realize like, Okay, if
I ever coach, I'm never ever gonna do that. Or
(26:56):
what was annoying you when you had a coach and
I'm sure you had a great relationship that you tried
to avoid. For example, me, it was like, well when
someone told me during the match, like fight, I'm like, well,
I'm fighting, Like that's why I'm here. Well there are
two things, yeah, when I was playing, and there were
(27:16):
two things that that kind of got to my nerves. Uh.
One it's regarding my wife, mostly because she would cheer
me up when I lose a point and I don't
need that, you know, I need I need the like
support when things are going well, and I know it
sounds weird, but nothing sounds player. Yeah, I know exactly.
(27:38):
So like I things are bad, I know I have
to fight, and it's it's it's like I have that,
you know, I'm gonna try to dig out of this,
you know, by myself. I'm fine, you know, I don't
need your mercy or I have to say you're you're yes,
I know what you mean, doing story for me, you know,
like some something like this. Uh, that's one thing. And
(27:59):
the second thing, I like, when I would finish the match,
doesn't matter if I winn lose. I needed time for myself,
like I needed ten fifteen minutes, just not talk to anybody,
not to hear anybody. And you know, my coach, Ricardo Piatti,
he struggles with not talking, you know, so he would
storm in and you know, and he gets excited, especially
(28:20):
when when I when I would play good matches, you know, yeah,
and then you know this WASNA said, just please just
you know that we're working together for fifteen years, Just
give me five minutes, just five minutes, you know, and
he would be so excited that he just couldn't control himself.
So I tried. I tried to you know, when when
when I would you know, I coached to Mills and
(28:41):
and and and Roger, and you know what, you know,
I don't know what the player wants. You know that
you want to talk right after or or you don't
want to sleep over. And because there are two different conversations.
If you speak right after the match, you analyze all
the emotions because you're very emotional after the match. But
if you spick the day after, you talk about tactical,
(29:02):
technical or whatever it's strategy. You know, it's more cold
kind of conversation, you know. So I I I always
preferred as a player, I preferred colder conversations, you know,
But some players just you know, prefer to know right
away because this is my feeling that I'm bringing up
from the board, So um, yeah, I want to talk now.
So it depends. But as a coach, I would not accept,
(29:25):
you know, the players talking bad to me and I
would just get you know, I would just literally walk
off the right. For me, this is something that I
am most discussed from this younger generation because for me,
it's such a lack of respect and and such a
bad behavior that you know, with the older guys, you do.
You talk about it, and it was like, how how
(29:48):
did you even get here? How this became normal? Because
you know, like back in the days you respect the coach.
You can't you can't do this, like it's not possible,
you know. So so this is something that I'm just like,
this is a no gol, this is not gonna happen,
you know. So Luckily, you know, with with about Millers,
you know, he was able, he had you know that
(30:10):
this rough matention moment, but he never talked bad to me,
and then and Rogers not you know, but this is
something that I would not I would just not be
able to to happen. Yeah, you're so right about the
time went to talk to the player after the match.
And I was the same at the beginning where I
wanted to know everything right away, and then I when
I worked with Carlos Rodriguez, he always wanted to the
(30:34):
earliest to discuss was in the evening, in the hotel
or the next morning, and then I always found such
a more mature conversation. So I think a little bit
more time definitely help you. You you have there is
a danger that you will forget a few things that
you maybe you would have said, by the way, so
there is pros and cons on votes. Again, even I
(30:54):
know you're super busy. So just last two questions. First
of all, um, you retired after fourteen years on the tour.
If I'm correct, I retired after nineteen, and I think
for both of us there was a very long time
in that time. What that Roger Raphae Novak and the
(31:21):
why are they able to play so much longer? What
is it that they know we didn't know? Is it
a recovery the physios or why do you think in
sports in general, because it's not just tennis at the
age just gets shifted, shifts a little bit more. Well, well,
first of all, I would I would return The question
is that why not? Like I feel like maybe we
(31:45):
could have played longer if we thought that it was possible,
you know, like it was almost normal to retire at
three thre four When I retired, you know, it was
just not. I think it's just that guys just kind
of tried to push and then to realize they actually can,
you know, because I cannot say I'm forty one now
and I'm you know, obviously out of shape. But I
(32:08):
feel like if I would go back to practice, I
would be competitive somewhat. So um. Definitely, of course we
have UM nutrition we have when you have we know
more about, you know, what we eat, what we drink,
we know more about. On the fitness side, definitely there's
more information as what what not to do. You know,
(32:28):
this is very important. UM. Tennis wise, we never really
stopped because we didn't like to play tennis, you know,
so um And obviously, I mean there's also financial part
where the prize money and the earnings now are so
high that you know, you just keep It's just kind
of more logical to play longer, you know. When I retired,
(32:51):
I mean honestly, I can say that I was not
making any money, you know, so for me playing not playing,
it didn't make any any financial difference, you know, traveling
two kids, uh any because you have to you have
to have one if you have two kids, and the
coach and the physio and myself, it was just so
much money and and so it was it was not there.
(33:12):
There was not even even that there. You know. Now
it's a bit different because people maybe don't realize what
happened in tennis last uh ten years, you know. Um.
On on the financial side, you know, there was really
a huge shift, and and and and I'm all for that.
(33:32):
The players are keep pushing and they want more because
they deserve a lot more than they're getting. But also
there was a massive change, you know. And then the
guys if you look at the prize money rankings, you know,
in two thousand ten, maybe and now I'm shooting I
don't know this information, but maybe number twelve in the
world was making a millionaire. Number fifty mikes a million,
(33:52):
you know. So there's a lot more people who make
more money. It is better tour than two tours, are healthier.
So the players, the players just keep playing. And and again,
I'll come back to the first point, which I think
is the most important one. Why not you know, I
think that the guys are showing garagers and raffles of
the world are showing everybody it can be done, so
so they just just go for it. It's such a
(34:13):
good point that so I think doing the math. We
retired around the same time thirty four, and that felt like, Okay,
this is the right time, Like I should not be
playing any longer because it's embarrassing. Where now it's like right,
It was like no that this is like I cannot
look at my age and like you said, like I'm
sure if it's right now, you know, physically we were fine.
(34:36):
We love the sport, but it's like it's not supposed
to be any longer than this is like now our
time is done. And talking about time the very last question,
please please please, can you confirm my theory they're doing
TV is harder than playing because no one wants to
believe me that how long the hours can be and
how tough it is is. There are some I mean,
(35:00):
I had I had fun. I have to say I
was I was doing. I have to say that I
was doing more the studios pre and post matches, you know,
than than actually commentating. Commentating matches can be can be long,
you know, because best of five sometimes you know, there
are some matches that you're really trying to squeeze last
(35:21):
drop out of that lemon. It's not simple. Um yeah,
I mean, I know what you're talking about, and you
you know, and if you say something wrong, you know
it's gonna be on Twitter, Facebook, in the papers and
you have four hours you're talking and you have to
(35:42):
be really careful. So it's not simple at all. Well,
if even let's finish on this great No, I feel
like we could talk for another two hours, but we're
doing great things. We can do. We can do the
second second part in the future. Okay, well, I really
appreciate it and I would love to take on that
(36:03):
um sometime in the fields. And yeah, well, um, good
luck with first of all, now the young players that
you are working with at the moment, and let's hope
we can see you on the tour very soon with
Roger as well. And uh, obviously very merry Christmas. Thank you,
(36:24):
thank you for having me all the best guys. Thanks.
I hope you have enjoyed today's episode and getting to
know my guests a bit better. If you feel like it,
to subscribe to us so you don't miss any of
the action. Also, let me know your comments or suggestions
on my social media channels, and have a lovely rest
of your day. By
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