Dmitry Tursunov She has been one of the fashionable names on the women’s circuit throughout 2022. It has nothing to do with her results at the WTA level, of course; her journey as a player ended a long time ago. However, the Russian has been on everyone’s lips for having added up to three different stages as a coach in just 12 months. He started the year with Anett Kontaveit, whom he led to last season’s WTA Finals after a monster 2021 finish; she terminated her relationship with the Estonian and threw herself into the void with Emma Raducanuwith whom he barely lasted several weeks until deciding that the relationship was not enough for more, and will end the season with Belinda Bencicwith whom he hopes to forge a long-term alliance.
A concept that does not seem easy to assimilate today, with fleeting associations that fail to prosper due to an alarming lack of patience. For someone who did so well alongside names like Aryna Sabalenka or Kontaveit herself, being immersed in this situation is not a dish of good taste. But Dmitry is not a guy who shuts up easily. He has no problem detailing how he has experienced this turbulent 2022, starting with his small collaboration with the British, a real trainer shredder in the last year. However, as he details in a great chat with Tennis Majors, this time it was the Russian who decided to jump ship.
“It is not true that I left Raducanu to be able to train Bencic. It is not. I was going to leave Emma’s team regardless of whether there was another player waiting for me. We did not agree on the conditions and there were some warning signs That I just couldn’t ignore. It becomes a bit frustrating to read things like that… I wasn’t jumping from one player to another, I would never do something like that.”, affirms a really hurt Tursunov with some comments made on social networks, where his loyalty and commitment to his pupils were questioned. When talking about her period with the British, Dmitry is full of praise for her, beyond not being able to have formed a lasting duo.
“Our trial period ended at the US Open and I stayed with her for a while, looking for some way to impress the team (laughs). I wanted it to work. First of all, I can only say that Emma is great. She is a true worker and doesn’t think or act like a superstar. She is hungry for improvement and is obsessed with tennis. It’s a bit of a weird combination: I loved working with her, I wanted it to have worked. Leaving the team of someone I like and respect was a very difficult decision for me.”
Of course, if anyone can comment on Raducanu’s situation, it is Tursunov, who trusts the British’s potential, but does not hide that she needs years of evolution to be able to fight for big goals. “For me, it’s a project of at least a year, probably two and a half years if I play it safe. It’s hard to understand when it comes to someone who has already won the US Open, but I think his game is still very green, which needs improvement in many ways. It will take time, but as I already told her and all the members of her team, I think she needs to listen to another voice, try for a while. And if it doesn’t work, you can remove it from the equation.
But she has many advantages: she is extremely talented, very athletic and very coordinated, which allows her to do things that the others cannot. The material is very good, but you can screw it up easily. I felt that it was a very interesting project, but a very long-term project, and as a coach you want to have the feeling that you are going to have a job throughout that period. I tried to find a solution to continue, for that reason I stayed more weeks after the trial period, but finally we did not agree on the conditions and I had to leave. Belinda had nothing to do with it.”
BELINDA BENCIC, PROJECT AND ILLUSION
With Emma being a part of the past, the Russian now focuses his efforts on the olympic gold medal, who has vindicated the figure of his new coach on several occasions. Dmitry also cannot hide his happiness at starting this new collaboration. “The truth is that I didn’t need much convincing. She called me and asked if I was available, if I was interested in working with her. I told her that I was with Emma at the time and that I couldn’t, but that I would let her know of any changes. When I finished with Emma, called Belinda, told her I was available, and we sat down, chatted, and decided to start working together.
The process with her was totally different. There was no trial period. He just told me: ‘Look, I’ve read things about you, I’ve seen how you work, I want to work with you. What do you need?‘ After two or three days of talks we made the decision. In that sense everything was much easier. The level of commitment was impressive. Belinda is very talented, but there are many talented players. She tries to see to what extent she is willing to suffer mentally. There are many who do not understand that, they think that change is easy, but it is not. To change things you have to go through a stage where you don’t feel so comfortable doing various things, where everything is not so familiar. You will have doubts in your mind, you must be completely convinced that the change is going to be for the better. You have to make a solid commitment.”
