Bencic about farewell to coach Tursunow: ‘It was difficult to ignore the problems’

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Her broad grin betrays it: the joy of Belinda Bencic (26) to be back in the tennis circus is great. After a week-long break due to a thigh injury, Paris is the very place of her comeback. She only really started training two weeks ago. She struggles with blisters all over her body. But even that she says with a laugh.

The East Swiss only gets a little more serious when she talks about the unexpected divorce from coach Dimitri Tursunow (40) in the spring. The collaboration since last fall was actually crowned with success – Bencic won two titles this year under the Russian (Adelaide and Abu Dhabi), advanced to the round of 16 at the Australian Open before losing to eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka (25) failed .

Surprising differences

The Olympic champion was always full of praise for the collaboration with Tursunov. Now she says: “I too was surprised that differences suddenly emerged. And then it was difficult to ignore the problems.” Where opinions differed, Bencic “prefers not to reveal”. After Miami, however, it turned out that things couldn’t go on like this – both personally and athletically: “I was disappointed. But I’m still grateful, I was able to learn a lot from him.”

She hopes the same from her new coach, with whom she has now traveled to the French Open – albeit initially as a “test”: it is Matej Liptak (45) from Slovakia. The Slovak Fed Cup captain has coached players such as Daniela Hantuchova (40) and Dominika Cibulkova (34). Due to his family situation (three children) he only qualifies for “nearly 15 tournaments a year”, as Bencic says.

Liptak should now join the world number twelve on their first comeback steps. Elina Avanessjan (20, WTA 134) waits in Paris for round one. Bencic says: “After my injury I don’t even allow myself the right to put pressure on myself.”

Source : Blick