Victoria Azarenka's ex-coach makes strongly worded remark about "non-tennis experts" seemingly infiltrating women's teams
Victoria Azarenka’s former coach, Sam Sumyk, claimed that women’s tennis teams are being infiltrated by people who aren’t tennis experts. The Frenchman also discussed how correct coaching decisions could help players reach new heights.
Sumyk, a well-known coach on the WTA circuit, recently switched his allegiance to the ATP tour, accepting an offer from rising French player Arthur Cazaux. Sam Sumyk’s resume includes multiple high-profile players like Victoria Azarenka, Garbine Muguruza, Eugenie Bouchard and Donna Vekic.
During his interview with Tennis Majors, he touched on the 'stereotype' that women are trained differently than men. He hinted at a lack of “real coaches” in women’s tennis.
"The more coaches there are, the higher the level will be among the women. I'm talking about real coaches, I'm talking about trainers, and then I think the level will naturally rise," he said.
Sumyk also made a surprising claim about WTA team members not having adequate qualifications.
"I don't know why it's changed like that for women. The entourage changes ... A lot of people who aren't tennis experts have taken the place of tennis experts and I don't know why," Victoria Azarenka’s ex-caoch said. "I just observe. I'm lucky to be able to continue, but I see that there are quite a few girls who don't have a tennis expert in their group."
Sam Sumyk coached Victoria Azarenka to both her Australian Open titles (2012 and 2013) and was also responsible for Garbine Muguruza’s two Majors (2016 French Open and 2017 Wimbledon).
Both players became World No. 1 during their partnerships with Sumyk. However, in 2023, Azarenka disclosed that her experience with the French coach wasn’t positive, describing him as “controlling” and “manipulative.”
"We're still in the same sport" – Victoria Azarenka's ex-coach on coaching the ATP and the WTA circuits
Victoria Azarenka’s ex-coach Sam Sumyk insisted that there's no specific divide on the ATP and the WTA circuits when it comes to training. He instead opined that every player is expected to follow different regimens based on their needs.
The French coach also indicated that the players’ age, career graph and cultural background play a role in their dynamic with team members.
"It's necessarily different because we're dealing with people. We're training different personalities. Even if you're training two girls, they're two different people, maybe two different cultures, or even two generations," he said during the aforementioned interview.
"You can have a player who's at the end of her career and one who's just starting out. That's where it's mainly at stake," he added.
In light of his first ATP project with No. 63-ranked Arthur Cazaux, after more than a decade on the WTA circuit, Sumyk said:
"Afterwards, there are inevitably differences between men and women, of course, but we're still in the same sport. That's why I say that we can train all audiences, there's no problem. I don't think there's a group of coaches for women and a group of coaches for men."