TRANSCRIPT 🔗
00:00:01
Speaker 1: Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of The Sit Down. I'm Matt Trollope, a writer for ozopen.com.
00:00:07
Speaker 2: And I'm Viv Christie, Managing Editor of Australian Tennis Magazine. And today we are joined by a superstar of the coaching world in Sven Grunewald.
00:00:15
Speaker 3: Thank you for joining us, Sven.
00:00:16
Speaker 4: Thank you for having me.
00:00:18
Speaker 2: You've coached the likes of Monica Salas, Mary Pears, Anna Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Tommy Haas, Greg Wazetski.
00:00:25
Speaker 3: Lots of names I'm missing there. That's quite a roll call of champions.
00:00:29
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:00:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, very fortunate actually to have been here also in Australia since 1992 and still enjoying it. So as long as they keep asking me, I will continue to do what I love to do.
00:00:46
Speaker 1: So in terms of your journey after a period competing on the tour, you transitioned to coaching. How did you make that transition? How did you end up in this industry?
00:00:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, long story short, because it is a long story, but it really came down to I finished my university and I studied business management. And I actually didn't want to go and become a tennis teacher. And so I had different ambitions. I still wanted to see the world and travel. And my mom found a... in a tennis magazine. In front of us, we have all these beautiful tennis magazines here. Was it.
00:01:22
Speaker 1: A tennis magazine?
00:01:24
Speaker 4: So I found an advertisement for a job placement in Japan in 1991. I actually went to Japan on an offer to start a junior academy. And from there on, I actually came in contact with IMG, International Management Group, through the brother of the agent of McEnroe, and his name is Tex Swain, and he said, you know, Sven, Monica is coming into town. Would you be interested in providing some sparring? And so I said, oh, yeah, of course. From there on, it's basically, it's been nonstop. This is my 30, 50 year going on tour, and that's how I transitioned into coaching starting to work with professional players in Japan already. And then from there on, it's a small world that we live in. And then once you get into that network, there are a lot of good people that want to help you out.
00:02:30
Speaker 1: Hearing Viv introduce you on the podcast and the incredible plays, you talked about Monica Sellers and it went on. So many former world number ones. Maria Sharapova, another one. When you listen to... the names of all of the players you've worked with and had enormous success with, and it's all listed at you at one hit. Like, what do you, do you go, wow, like that's a, are you very proud of hearing that kind of roster of names you've worked with?
00:02:54
Speaker 4: You know, I was just getting a haircut and I said to myself, you know, like I was talking to the gentleman who was cutting my hair and I said, you know, I've been coming back, you know, since here in 91 and I've been very privileged. And again, I see it as a privilege that they put the trust in me. I feel that is a great responsibility. And so I treat every player the same. It doesn't matter if they are number one or 500 in the world. I've worked with some younger players. But, you know, I was going through a little bit of my history at the Australian Open with Monique, our player services. And I'm not sure exactly her title, but Monique. And then, yes, then I actually– I realize, I go, wow, what a great journey. And I want to continue doing that. And, yeah, it's special. It's just– I would not have thought I would be able to say that at this, you know, like looking back when I started.
00:03:59
Speaker 1: Do you keep track of, like– numbers and achievements some people are certainly motivated by that others are motivated by different things but like collectively they've spent a lot of weeks at number one they've won a lot of grand slams are you aware of those kinds of milestones when you in terms of how many you've been involved with.
00:04:16
Speaker 4: Yes when when i need to actually have a conversation with you i i do i do look back because i do need to maybe quote some moments that that have been part of my journey um The part what actually stands out, I don't realize that in 1995, 30 years ago, Mary Pierce won her first Grand Slam here. And that for me, 30 years. And I was speaking to Gavin Forbes, who was her agent at the time. And I said, can you believe it just passed that quickly? We as coaches live so much in the moment, just like players do. And we don't realize how fast the time is going. I don't have kids, that's another reason maybe that's why, but doing the job that I'm doing, which is 30 to 35, maybe 40 weeks, with Maria Sharapova, my first year I did 48 weeks. The times is just that we always trying to be in a moment. And that's, sometimes you don't realize until you sit down, until you start going over the history. But it's still, you know, it's not history in a sense that it's past. It's still present for me.
00:05:37
Speaker 3: Do you keep in touch with some of those players?
00:05:40
Speaker 4: Yes, very much. I am very privileged to be very strongly bonded with many of my players and Maria as well. You know, whether it's Michael Stieck that I coached in 95, 96, or whether it's, I was the best man in Greg Rosetzky's wedding. So I, you know, we always catch up, you know, so we do tend to, you know, keep in touch. And now with Sarana, who I worked with during the time that I was head of the Adidas Player Development Program, you know, many years ago, about 14 years ago, and now she comes back and asked me to work with her privately. So, It's a small world. I try to have a really strong relationship with all the players and human connection and not just the player, the person. And I feel that we spend so much time as coaches with the players that we also need to help them develop as a human being. And as you do that, you build a bond. And
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that bond is... you know, for a lifetime.
00:06:57
Speaker 1: Well, I guess that makes the next question quite hard because you've made special bonds with them all and you've worked in this, um, industry for 30 years plus. Is there one player or milestone or moment that stands out for you the most, particularly when you get reflective and prepare for an interview? Was there one that came into your mind?
00:07:13
Speaker 4: Well, I mean, if you're in Australia and I want to then just focus on the Australian open, um, I remember in 1995 when, uh, Mary Pierce was preparing for her final. And we stayed in South Yara during that time. Still, a lot of people didn't stay at the other side of the city, but she couldn't sleep. She couldn't sleep. She said, you know, guys, I know we have a final tomorrow, but I'm so, you know, still adrenaline and caught up. And I said, listen, why don't you join us? The physical trainer and I, we had, you know, set up a meeting together to go play laser tag.
00:07:56
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:07:57
Speaker 4: And I said, why don't you join us? So she joined us, played laser tag. She loved it. And she was all, you know, like fully engaged and came back, slept great. And the next day she played the final and won it.
00:08:12
Speaker 1: And she played great.
00:08:13
Speaker 4: And she played great. And she speaks of that moment.
00:08:18
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:08:19
Speaker 4: And that really stood out as one of the experiences that, you know, you may not want to, you know, you cannot prepare for that. It's just you're so in the moment. You go through, you know, the preparation. You do, you know, a lead up. And you have three weeks, four weeks leading into. And then you get to that final. And that is when, yes, you can say, oh, we have to be so serious. And, you know, we then actually elevate that. Instead, we should actually still remember where the joy is of just being and being in the moment. And if you start going too far ahead, you know, that's when we lose track. So we were able to, you know, kind of brought her back in and got her in the moment. And she, yeah, she had a wonderful time. Wonderful final.
00:09:15
Speaker 3: What an incredible story.
00:09:16
Speaker 1: It is. It's about taking the mind off tennis a bit too, isn't it? Of course. I would never be able to sleep. No, don't think I would. If it was a Grand Slam final, I'd be a wreck.
00:09:25
Speaker 4: And that's what kind of, you know, in 1994 she was in the final of the Roland Garros. And she was playing Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. And what happened was that on the Saturday– They had to play the final, but it was a rainy day. It just got rained out. And she was just really, really nervous. So I had that experience already that she had this nervousness and I don't want to call it anxiety. That's not for me, but just the anticipation. And so because of that. you were able to then to say, okay, you know what? We understand it didn't work there. So let's find another way. And that's why kind of it actually turned out. Let's play laser tech. There was this game facility in South Yara. I don't know if it's still there.
00:10:18
Speaker 3: I don't think so.
00:10:18
Speaker 4: Across the Como Hotel.
00:10:21
Speaker 3: I don't think that's there anymore.
00:10:22
Speaker 1: Well, that's still there.
00:10:24
Speaker 4: But it's, yeah.
00:10:25
Speaker 1: There's been a bit of change around there.
00:10:26
Speaker 4: I haven't been back yet.
00:10:28
Speaker 3: It's 30 years.
00:10:29
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:10:30
Speaker 3: That's amazing.
00:10:32
Speaker 2: You have coached players to the world number one ranking. I believe Caroline Wozniacki rose to world number one under your guidance.
00:10:39
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:10:40
Speaker 2: What's that like when you achieve that pinnacle?
00:10:44
Speaker 4: I think you need to ask the player because at the end of the day, as a coach, you provide guidance, you provide a service. You have obviously goals for the players. The goals are actually the players' goals. We tend to just look at ways to get there. I do, you know, with Caroline... She stayed number one. Obviously, she didn't win a slam during that time. So it was almost like the tennis, it's tough. Our world of tennis is tough because she was two years number one and never really got maybe the credit that she deserved until she won here and got that slam.
00:11:27
Speaker 1: And got number one back.
00:11:29
Speaker 4: And got number one back. Which was a really cool. So this is what, and I was not with her, but I know that that, really put her on the map in a sense. Now, I had the same experience with Anna Ivanovic, where she was playing the French Open in 2008. And I remember the WTA coming up to me and said, okay, Sven, if Anna wins this semifinal, she will be number one and we want to do a special presentation. And I said, no, no, no, no, no. I said, she's playing the French Open, Roland Garros. Number one is great. But there's a very special clip where she actually is being told by a camera crew that was able to go into the locker room and told her when she became number one after she won that semifinal. And she was like, oh, I didn't know. And this is exactly what I wanted, actually, that a player is not aware, but it's just staying in the moment. That was, for me, the most important, actually, that the player doesn't really know it until it actually happens. So, it.
00:12:38
Speaker 1: Is... But she found out before the final, did you say?
00:12:41
Speaker 4: And she did find out before the final.
00:12:42
Speaker 1: Were you worried about that?
00:12:43
Speaker 4: No, because it was so innocent, almost. It was not blown up. And it was just natural. It was also, you know, that needs to happen as it happens.
00:12:57
Speaker 1: And.
00:12:59
Speaker 4: The camera crew didn't really know, and the first time they were allowed to go into the locker room, we're getting more and more broadcasting access to players,
and this access was a natural process, which I think that's what it needs to take. And so if it would have happened in a press conference, it would have been great too. But had I addressed it prior to that match, or if she would have become aware of maybe a presentation that was organized... That would have been something that would take away from actually and maybe got nervous. And then all of a sudden, not only now, she also had a final to defend the year before she was in the final of the French Open on Roland Garros. So there are a lot of little things that you and then all of a sudden you add number one to it. You add more. And we tried to always as coaches try to less. Less is more.
00:13:55
Speaker 2: You talked to us before about it's your job to help the player achieve their goals. But do you actually sit down and sort of define the goals with the player? Is that part of your job as well?
00:14:04
Speaker 4: I think as we are defining the goals, I've worked with different players that really are clear about their goals. And others are there and say, as long as I'm entering a match and motivated to play the goals will come by itself. Some people actually see it as pressure because a goal, yes, we all want to become number one. We all want to get a grand slam. But can you imagine if you don't reach it, the disappointment? And so there's always a balancing act of saying, yes, that's our goal, but today is actually the moment where it's kind of like, You want to put the money in the bank before you extract it. So we're putting a lot of work in, putting a lot of work and saving up and saving up and saving up in order to then show up when it is most important. And so goals can be great as your vision and your dream and to see yourself at the pinnacle. But I think the daily work is going to get you there.
00:15:24
Speaker 2: How would you describe your coaching philosophy?
00:15:27
Speaker 4: Holistic. 360 degrees approach. Taking consideration of the person over the player. Listening. Learning to be quiet. Let them experience certain moments by themselves. I'm speaking a lot now. That's what I not tend to do during practices. So it's more of an approach of maximizing the potential of the player through their strengths and not only because I think tennis should be played a certain way.
00:16:07
Speaker 1: The reason we've asked that question too is it's kind of almost a two-parter. We read... Sharapova's autobiography. And she talked about her work as a teenager working with Robert Lansdorp. And now he had a very clear coaching philosophy or more like a belief. He believed in the hard flat shots and repetitions. And we've also had Paul McNamee on our podcast, and he's a really big believer in getting young kids on clay because it's a great. So do you have anything like that in your kind of approach to coaching where you're like, I believe this or like, holistic and you work with the players certainly, but are there some things that you like tried and true things like this is great or is it just different for everyone?
00:16:45
Speaker 4: I think it's different for everyone, but it's also different for the players when they are in a certain stage of their development. So Robert, you know, he was a development coach for Tracy Austin, for Lindsay Davenport, for Pete Sampras, for.
00:17:04
Speaker 3: Maria.
00:17:06
Speaker 4: And he had a philosophy and he had a lot of strong philosophy, actually his Dutch heritage, very strong in his approach and very clear. And so I tend to, I get the players at a later stage where the player is not in this development stage where I need to be adaptable. However, there are certain, the tennis court is still the same Compared to, you know, as long as I know, the net is the same height. Okay, material of rackets and strings and even the balls. So we have different athletes. So we need to adapt our coaching approach to today. And so what worked maybe 10 years ago or 20 years ago for one player doesn't always work today. So this is really, for me, I adapt myself. My adaptability, I'm more the person that is going to take the player as they are as a person and then maximize that potential.
00:18:17
Speaker 1: What's been your longest coaching partnership?
00:18:20
Speaker 4: Maria.
00:18:21
Speaker 2: Okay.
00:18:22
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:18:22
Speaker 4: Maria Sharapova and then Greg Rusetsky. Maria was almost, yeah, four and a half years.
00:18:28
Speaker 2: Wow.
00:18:29
Speaker 1: Yeah, we're really fascinated by that dynamic that exists. You said you were on … two or one season with Maria for 48 weeks. She's basically never home for the entire year. So how do you balance that? And again, it would be different player to player, I'm sure. But yeah, how do you keep life going on the road? How do you not spend too much time together? Do you do dinner together every night? How does that work for you? How do you approach it?
00:18:52
Speaker 4: Obviously, during the time that you're on the road, you do tend to have a... I mean, she obviously had a big team and the team are together. And she joins every once in a while. But during the year when she would have been home, we as a team have our time together. It is a lot of dedication. But that for me is what the player, if the player needs that at that time, then we commit to that.
00:19:27
Speaker 2: Okay.
00:19:27
Speaker 1: Okay. Yeah, we've always wondered how that would be because we work together quite closely. We do. We survive each other, but it's, you know, it's... Touch and go. But yeah, that is something you have to think about, traveling on the road altogether always. Yeah, it's just a fascinating dynamic.
00:19:43
Speaker 4: Yeah, you have to make sure that you do have your time for yourself. And most of the time, I take my time very early in the morning. I sometimes wake up at four and work out and get in touch with my family and really, you know, kind of put my times when the times are not needed
by players because the players, you don't want them to wake up at four or five o'clock in the morning. But I do.
00:20:05
Speaker 1: Yes, that's when you get your precious time. Yes. I guess on your coaching career, what's one play from history you might have loved to have coached and why that you never got to work with?
00:20:17
Speaker 4: Well, there's a story with Roger Federer. I was the head of Swiss tennis during the time that he was developing. And Peter Carter and Peter Lundgren were looking after them. And so Peter Lundgren and Peter Carter basically developed Roger. I was their boss, in a sense. And at one stage, there was a question when he was going to leave the federation and wanted to go private. And they asked me, Sven, are you interested in coaching Roger? And I said, well, I would be, but Peter Carter and Peter Lundgren have spent so much time and dedicated so much of their time to Roger. I said, I'm too strongly connected with these two people great guys. I said, I could never do that because, um, I feel that that belongs to one of them. So, uh, both of them passed, unfortunately, Peter Lundgren as well, uh, two very dear friends of mine that, uh, have made an impact in tennis. And, um, you know, Roger was always a special, special guy. I would love to have spent time with him, uh, as, as, as his private coach. Um, But it was done by two wonderful men that took the lead on that. So I'm proud of those guys.
00:21:39
Speaker 2: And now, of course, you're working with Tara Daniel and Serana Sesteya. What's the highlights of those partnerships so far?
00:21:47
Speaker 4: Well, Serana, looking back, we worked together since, I mean, I would say 2007, 2008. She got to the quarterfinals at the French Open when I was looking after, I believe it was... Again, 2007, I believe, or 2008. And then, you know, I just started up with her again. So our highlights are in the future. You know, I'm quite happy how she's preparing and how she's dedicated to, you know, at 34 years old and playing for a long time. She really wants to give it a lot of push. So I'm there for that. And Tara Daniel, you know, he's in the main draw. He did a phenomenal job at the end of this year of 24. He won in Taiwan a challenger, got to the final the next week, and one more semifinal in the last four weeks of his season. And I really, really enjoyed that and put him into a place that he can have a great season in 2025. And I must say, I'm really proud of him that he also qualified for two Olympics while we were working together.
00:23:05
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:23:06
Speaker 4: So, you know, that's something that has been really special.
00:23:10
Speaker 3: You've spent a lot of time in Asia.
00:23:12
Speaker 2: I believe you have also done some work with Wu Yabing, is that correct? Yes.
00:23:16
Speaker 3: So thoughts on Asian tennis. Is it getting quite strong now?
00:23:21
Speaker 4: It sure is. I mean, obviously, I think, you know, the Australian Open being really affiliated with, I believe it's the Grand Slam of Asia Pacific. And so I think since... I'm not sure when that became something that became part of it, but I know the wildcard playoffs for Japan also, they have that. They have certain playoffs that are still taking place. I think because of the support of Tennis Australia, I think it really is making... really improvements. I mean, obviously, the impact that Li Na had and still has in a way, we see the development of China and we see the health of tennis and its tennis health, I think, is great in Asia. So I think Tennis Australia is part of that. And I believe we'll see many more players coming through.
00:24:25
Speaker 1: Well, that sounds like a fantastic note to end on. But thank you so much, Sven Groeneveld, for joining us today. We could have talked to you for a lot longer, but this was fantastic.
00:24:33
Speaker 4: Thank you. My pleasure. Thank you. And I hope to be back one day.
00:24:36
Speaker 1: And you can join us next Monday for another episode of The Sit Down when we bring you another guest. We've migrated to a new home, so you can search for The Sit Down in your favourite podcast player. And as we always say, we'd like our fans to subscribe, rate and review. We would. We'll do it again next week.
00:24:52
Speaker 3: See you next week.