Coaching from the Female Perspective — Sandra Zaniewska

Summary

WTA coach Sandra Zaniewska shares her unconventional coaching journey — from accidental start to coaching a player from world #90 to #14 — and her philosophy that “the best coaches don’t create the best players, they create the best humans first.” The conversation covers coaching female athletes specifically, the importance of unlearning between players (advice from Patrick Mouratoglou), journaling as a coaching tool, the parent-child relationship as the non-negotiable priority, body awareness and injury prevention starting early, and Zaniewska’s two books: Coaching 2.0 (for coaches of female players) and Raising Champions (for tennis parents). She currently coaches WTA player Marta Kostiuk.

Guest Background

Sandra Zaniewska is a Polish WTA tour coach, based in Warsaw when not traveling (~40 weeks/year on tour). Former professional player with a career-high WTA singles ranking of #142, she retired at 26. Started coaching accidentally when a friend (ranked #90) asked for help at a few tournaments — that player rose to #14 over two years. Worked at the Mouratoglou Academy as high-level director responsible for scouting and coaching development. Currently coaching Marta Kostiuk (1.5 years). Author of two books: Coaching 2.0: How to Develop Great Female Players On and Off the Court and Raising Champions: The Ultimate Guide for Tennis Parents.

Key Topics

• Accidental coaching career: Zaniewska never planned to coach. A friend asked for tournament help; a “couple of weeks” became full-time. Her first player went from #90 to #14 in two years.
• “Unlearn everything” (Mouratoglou): Every new player requires a complete reset. What worked with the previous player may be the opposite of what the new one needs. Zaniewska experienced this firsthand transitioning between her first and second players.
• Coaching female athletes: Her first book addresses the gap — no books existed specifically on coaching female tennis players. Key themes: listen more than you speak, understand the whole person, communication-first approach, recognize that female players may need more attention and a deeper sense of being heard and understood.
• Personal coaching philosophy: “The best coaches don’t create the best players. They create the best humans first.” Rooted in her own negative junior coaching experience where she felt misunderstood, unheard, and pressured to suppress non-tennis interests.
• Journaling for coaches: Keep notes on each player — even one or two sentences after a session. Essential for continuity, especially when coaching multiple players. “The player has only one career” — it’s the coach’s duty to maintain that thread.
• Coach collaboration vs. protectionism: Junior coaches in the U.S. avoid sharing experiences with other coaches for fear of losing players. Zaniewska argues: if the player trusts you, no amount of external coaching conversations will pull them away. Focus on being the best coach for the player, not on protecting territory.
• Parent-child relationship is #1: The relationship between parent and child must be intact at the end of the tennis journey. This should never be sacrificed for tennis results. Petra Martic (Zaniewska’s first player) reinforced this when reviewing the parent chapter of Raising Champions.
• Body awareness from early age: Prevention and body awareness should start at 8-10, not 15-16. Even monthly physiotherapist visits help players learn to feel and communicate about their bodies. “If the body is not healthy, there will be no tennis.”
• Coaching style individuality: Players instinctively know their natural style. Coaches should identify what’s natural and develop from there, not mold players into a different type. Zaniewska’s own career suffered when coaches tried to make her play “typical big-hitting women’s tennis” when her natural game was heavy ball, defense, and net play.
• Long-term coaching partnerships: WTA coaching changes happen frequently. Zaniewska values loyalty, trust, and commitment, aspiring to build multi-year partnerships. Dreams of winning a Grand Slam.

Actionable Advice for Families

1. Listen to your child: The most important thing early on is hearing what the child wants. Don’t rush. The journey is long — patience prevents burnout and preserves the relationship.
2. Protect the parent-child relationship above all: No trophy, ranking, or result is worth damaging this bond. It is the non-negotiable.
3. Start body prevention early: Monthly physiotherapist visits from age 8-10 help children develop body awareness and catch issues before they become injuries.
4. Communication triangle: Parent-coach, parent-child, and child-coach communication lines must all function well simultaneously.
5. Let your child’s natural style emerge: Push back on coaches who try to force a style that doesn’t feel natural to your child. The best players play as themselves.
6. Read Raising Champions: Zaniewska’s guide covers choosing coaches, academies, management agencies, social media, match analysis, multi-sport development, and more.

INTENNSE Relevance

• Coaching philosophy alignment: Zaniewska’s “best humans first” philosophy and emphasis on listening, communication, and individuality align with INTENNSE’s player-centered development approach.
• Female athlete development gap: Her identification of a gap in coaching resources for female athletes is relevant — INTENNSE could consider whether its offerings address gender-specific development needs.
• Mouratoglou Academy intel: Zaniewska’s experience as high-level director at Mouratoglou provides inside perspective on how a major European academy scouts, develops, and manages elite juniors.
• Books as resources: Both Coaching 2.0 and Raising Champions could be evaluated for INTENNSE’s recommended reading list or resource library for families in the pipeline.
• Early body awareness: The emphasis on starting physiotherapy and body education at 8-10 reinforces the wellness-first messaging from the Kait Ireland PT episode.

Notable Quotes

“The best coaches don’t create the best players. They create the best humans first.” — Sandra Zaniewska

“Every time you start working with a new player, you have to unlearn everything that you knew before.” — Patrick Mouratoglou, as quoted by Sandra Zaniewska

“We as coaches, we will have many different players, but the player has only one career. So it’s our duty to first of all be the best coach that we can be for them.” — Sandra Zaniewska