Helena Sukova reveals her only career regret

Former World No. 4 Helena Sukova, who won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles in her career, says her parents were the most influential people the careers of her and her brother, Cyril Suk.

Sukova peaked at No. 4 in the singles rankings and was a four-time Grand Slam singles runner-up and won 10 singles titles in her career. She alsp peaked at No. 1 in the world in doubles.

In a column for the WTA Tour, Sukova says, "Dad was a Junior National Under-18 singles Champion and mom was an 11-time National and International Czechoslovak singles Champion, a singles Wimbledon finalist in 1962. Topping her list of achievements was a Top 5 position in the World rankings. After her playing career she became well-known tennis coach, becoming National leading coach for women ‘s tennis in Czechoslovakia. She was very well recognized globally, and under her wings grew players like Martina Navratilova, Hana Mandlikova, Miroslava Bendlova, Hana Strachonova, and many others. My brother and I, we got the best of her knowledge we could from our earliest stages of development, and thanks to that we continued to build up on further on."

Her brother, Cyril Suk, also played on the men's tour and teamed with Suková to win three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, at the French Open in 1991 and at Wimbledon in 1996 and 1997.

"Lucky enough, my brother and I never felt any pressure from our parents to play tennis. We spent most of the weekday afternoons playing tennis or other games with the local coaches and other kids at the Sparta club – just having fun. Our mom Vera was in charge of our technique, so even when other coaches practiced with us they followed her instructions. She taught me and my brother the style, the strokes, the on-court mentality. When it came to genetics, we were also lucky enough to inherit the rest in what it takes to become one of the best in the World. I think I inherited her eye for the technical parts of tennis, and probably my empathy for personal, inner feelings, which helped as I transitioned from tennis to both sports and clinical psychology. Her schooling and the experience from my tennis days put it all together."

Sukova says her mom passed away just as she started out playing on the professional circuit and she regrets that she was not able to see the success of her children. "I was only 17 years old, just starting out in my professional career, when my mother passed away from cancer. During my 18 years on the tour there were many times that I needed her coach’s advice badly and there were times her expert opinion was missing – including from some of people I would hire and work with. It is not normal from 17 years of age that you do not get a chance to ask your mom for advice in anything. I only regret she did not live long enough to experience and see mine and my brother’s success from the seeds she planted."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3eyXrzK