2017 CLUB • ACADEMY • INTERVIEWS • SUCCESSES • OFFER FOR THE PARTNERS empire-tennis-academy.com /EmpireTennisAcademy /EmpireTennisAcademy tcempire.sk /tcempire /tcempiretrnava /empiretennis /EmpireTennisAcademy /EMPIRETennis EMPIRE TENNIS ACADEMY 2017 EMPIRE TENNIS ACADEMY 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 8 10 You can also find us on the websites and social networks web tcempire.sk empire-tennis-academy.com empireslovakopen.sk facebook /tcempire /EmpireTennisAcademy /EmpireSlovakOpen twitter /tcempiretrnava /EMPIRETennis /EMPIRESlovak Instagram /empiretennisacademy /empireslovakopen 9 20 youtube /user/ClubEMPIRETrnava/videos 4 Interview: Head Coach Vladimir Platenik 13 Tereza Mihalikova: 20 EMPIRE Slovak Open 2018, New season, new coach offer for the partners The International EMPIRE two years in the academy. This result is also Bencic (Switzerland), Lucie Safarova (Czech 6 Elina Svitolina: OFFER Tennis Academy in Trna- success of Academy‘s head coach Vladimir Republic), Kateryna Kozlova (Ukraine), An- I was surprised, what I found in Trnava 14 Players and coaches 24 Event va is on the scene more than 3 years and Platenik. drej Martin & Igor Zelenay (both Slovakia) 8 Daria Kasatkina: Ready for Top 20 of the Academy and the club calendar of the club during its activity the academy has seen out- The team of coaches was expanded by fa- and young players like Tereza Mihalikova, Re- 16 Lucie Safarova, 25 ART EMPIRE: standing achievements led by Daria Kasat- mous names such as Karol Beck, Daniel Trc- becca Sramkova (both Slovakia) and Anheli- 9 Kateryna Kozlova’s another famous member of the academy The place and moment of Jana Šindelová kina from Russia. Daria moved from 370th ka, Jaroslav Levinsky, Mislav Hizak or Martin na Kalinina, Anna Blinkova, Artem Dubrivnyy important & successful year place to 24th place ranking WTA during Hromec. Elina Svitolina (Ukraine), Belinda are also the members of the Academy. 10 Belinda Bencic’s 17 TC EMPIRE Trnava club & complex 26 Rent of the courts successful comeback after surgery 18 Miloslav Grolmus and cooperation 27 Thanks to the partners For more information about the EMPIRE Tennis Academy in Trnava, Slovak Republic, please contact us via e-mail, telephone, our social with Ken Onishi from Japan networks or in person. Contact: Nina Hlavnova, Academy Manager, mobile: +421 908 859 000, e-mail: [email protected] 12 Ons Jabeur: Top 50 is waiting 28 Hotel Empire**** Tennis trainings: Fitness trainings: Physiotherapy: Publisher: TC EMPIRE Trnava a.s., Jána Hajdóczyho 11, 917 01 Trnava, www.tcempire.sk, Phone: +421(0) 911 170 738 / Editor: Leonard Popovič, Price offer from 650 € week 3 hours per day 4 hours per week 1 hour per week Rastislav Hríbik, Sports Web Agency s.r.o., Photo: Ivan Kopčáni a Milan Hutera / Graphic design: Andrej Šimkovič / Print: DEVIN printing house, s.r.o. This price includes tennis and fi tness trainings, physiotherapy, accommodation and food. (2) empire-tennis-academy.com /EmpireTennisAcademy /EmpireTennisAcademy /EMPIRETennis (3) EMPIRE TENNIS ACADEMY 2017 EMPIRE TENNIS ACADEMY 2017 Head coach Vladimir Platenik is working on the next phase of the developm ent for Academy in Trnava The new face in the academy is former world No. 7 Belinda Bencic, who has Slovak roots. He made comeback Our players were successful after the surgery and started her Vladimir Platenik, head coach at Tr- want to be still more professional, but I see there “Svitolina, Kozlova and Jabeur made the interna- preparation at Trnava’s club. Did you nava Academy, has good reason to is a huge interest of academy players. I feel, we tional success, Kasatkina maintained her posi- expect such a great return for her? smile. Together with his colleagues he are going the right way. We have got offers not tion, Bencic successfully returned to the tourna- “I do not like the expectations because expecta- teamed up solid squad consist of real- just from the players, but also coaches, who ments. Elina had a perfect season and this really tions bind players. It needs to be more modest, ly successful players at 2017 season. want to cooperate with us. These offers are not surprise me. But the biggest breakthrough came when you would like to have good results. We Ukrainian Elina Svitolina has won five only from Slovakia or Czech coaches. Some with Jabeur as she was able to move from the were worrying about her, because she had an WTA tournaments this year, her com- of them came also from abroad. I am glad, we end of the place about 200th to 83rd. But I am operation in May. She was not fit, tried to work patriot Kateryna Kozlova jumped back have already stabilized the children’s category also glad that Kateryna Kozlova with the coach with different trainers, changed some sparing to the first Top 100 and Tunisian player due to coach Jaroslav Kormys. This moment Jaroslav Levinsky made Top 100 ranking. They partners. The only thing we could do was to meet Ons Jabeur set her personal best in this is very important for me. That is the point, we deserve it very much, because they worked for her expectations. To give her what she was look- season. Czech Lucia Safarova togeth- should start, have a professional concept from the changes. I think we were very successful in ing for. Belinda is communicative independent er with Swiss Belinda Bencic are the this age. We are still growing, having more and the women’s category. “ girl, she was able to solve many things herself. new faces of the team. Also we need more members. I am looking forward also for Now is important just one thing – to have good to admire the way how Bencic was the building of academy, it will be completed in And what about men? team around, which will be able to get her back able to return to Top 100 after injury a few months. Now according to agreement with “Andrej Martin has found a new coach at the end to top positions. I know, it will be tough, but there after her preparation in EMPIRE Tennis Mr. Miroslav Hlavna, we would launch the sec- of the season. During the year, he remained in is no limit as she was already at Top Ten. I believe Academy. ond phase of the Academy development. We the Top 200. Igor Zelenay had a good double re- she is able to do it again.” are getting ready for it, and now I’m going to be sults, but he needs to find more stable partner for The Trnava Academy was set up in a bit more involved with management, I want to the games. He needs to play grandslam or ATP Why is so good for her to stay 2014. How is club’s reputation right be more active in this.” tournaments to have a chance reaching more at Trnava? now? points. He has potential acquire more points, “She likes our academy, her grandmother lives “Let’s have a look back the last three year. We Where do you see the main positives he is a solid guy. In my opinion cooperation be- nearby, so she has a family background here. proved to build really good team. Of course, we of the Academy in the last period? tween Japanese Onishi and Miloslav Grolmus There is no speech barrier for her, she feels good brings also some progress. They had some good with us, I hope. And last but not least, she has really results at Futures tournaments. Karol Beck and good conditions for training at academy. I see she Artem Dubrivnyy also try to go up. They have to is happy, play tennis for herself with goal to come go through the Futures tournaments together, I back to Top 10. She has a great sparring players know it’s hard. “ here, a fitness trainer, a physiotherapist. We will be happy to help her return to the higher positions.” How do you see Ons Jabeur move up in the ranking? Elina Svitolina ended the year as the “It is the merit of Mislav Hizak, who works with World No. 4, it was her best season game. Kalinina was great junior player, but unfor- It was unhappy situation. After having some good Ons. He is the man I had spoken a year ago at ever. How her performances surprised tunately she was injured after that period. She un- trainings with Maros Molnar she started to plays US Open in New York. I have a chance to see you? dergone shoulder operation two years ago. But I better, but still, it wasn’t her season. She is talent- how much enthusiasm he is giving to his work. “She had a great season. She is a girl who with think, if she will be working for year or more here ed girl, but she must be able to keep discipline. He has experiences, he is a good tennis player, tremendous will and is a great warrior. She re- in Trnava, she will be able to reach Top 100. But She is with us for three years and she moves defi- an educated man. He really knows how to help ally deserves her position as she worked for it I am just started my cooperation with her. We are nitely on higher positions. She continues to work players around No. 200 in the ranking. He knows very hard. She has strong will, discipline and also negotiating with other players from the Top with Maros Molnar still, she stays also a member they can not afford his own coach, but despite sometimes is really enough to move up. I was 100, but so far it is open. For example, Mislav of our academy. Also her brother Alex helped her this fact, he provided Ons with interesting pack- surprised, but as I say, she deserves it.” Hizak, former Jabeur’s coach had several offers at Trnava, where she has really good conditions, age of services.