-
In Poland sometimes it looked like media and fans see Aryna as antagonist of our national hero - Iga. Part of this was controversy with her connections with Belarusian regime while Polish people was helping Ukrainians. Her response was like: "We just have two completely different personalities. I wouldn’t say I’m a good character and she’s bad because it puts her in a negative light. We are just different. We have a lot of respect for each other and we are kind to each other. "
-
“He persuaded me to start to diversify my game and feel at ease, moving forward. This is the work we are deepening now. Coach Wiktorowski taught me to play volleys correctly. Being at the net, I no longer feel the stress. I am able to take care of the technique and play as it should be in terms of tactical. We want my tennis to be more diverse because it was missing. Today – also thanks to the tactical solutions it presents to me – it is easier for me to have a wider range of options on the court.”
-
From first interview. "Initially, I was going to play, because I always want to play for Poland. This season, however, it wasn’t possible. I was aware that many people would not like my decision. People who know tennis, however, know what a long journey around the tournament means, the need to adapt, sleepless, short training time on the new court. (…) It’s more important to take long-term view, because I want to play for many more years, also for Poland "
From second: "I regret (not playing for Poland) and and I would like to play in the Billie Jean King Cup finals, but such a decision could have negative consequences. If I had performed there, now I would probably be struggling with an injury or a lot of fatigue and I couldn’t start training early enough to prepare for performances in Australia. Playing for the Country is biggest privilege (…) I don’t want to compete when I can’t give 100%. -
It’s quite long part of first interview, but summarizing: Daria is helping not only with emotions on court, but also how some of everyday activities influence Iga’s performance. For example using social media. She helps dealing with different things like other people’s expectations and comments not to disturb Iga’s form.
Also:
“Daria became a link between the management and sports teams so that I do not need to watch everyone alone (…) I took advantage of her competences in team building to build team that supports my career from business side”
“Communication is different than with a therapist you see once every two weeks. Daria and I know each other well, but as a professional she wouldn’t let it affect our work. We set session times and work through specific things. It doesn’t change the fact that we can eat dinner together or watch something.”
As far as I remember she had it in Tokyo, so it wasn’t so long ago. In Beijing it was probably banned. In Cancun? I would probably bet that she forgot in those organizational chaos or decide not wear, because of weather. We’ll see if it will be back during Australian swing.