Getting to know… Andrea Petkovic
Sunday, May 23, 2010
By Benjamin Adler
Andrea Petkovic, who at No.40 in the world is enjoying her highest ever
ranking, has a reputation for being the intellectual of the women’s circuit
whilst remaining totally focused on her game.
The 22-year-old is smiling and friendly, happily high-fiving German journalists
as they pass by and generally exuding warmth and happiness – qualities that
have become something of a trademark, along with her intellect. “I don’t know
what I’ve done to deserve this but I don’t mind it, it makes me happy,” she
laughs. This reputation is well deserved however: she speaks four languages,
reads Goethe in German, reads Sartre in French, is taking a political-science
correspondence course and says her next career will be in politics.
“Tennis is the best school of life.”
Simply mention her true passion and the enthusiasm spills over. “Ever since I
was very little I’ve wanted to change things I didn’t like. I am not the type
to complain without doing anything about it. For me, politics is having the
power to change things and my career will help me in my political aspirations
because tennis is the best school of life. You learn how to fight to achieve
your goals and how to respect discipline. I am not always in the mood to go
running in the forest on Sunday mornings but I do it. So even though it is not
my favourite part of politics, I will go out and shake hands because I have
to.” She believes in Angela Merkel, the current Chancellor of Germany, and
thinks “she is doing a good job.”
Coached by Glen Schaap since November, she admits without shame that it took
her a while to embrace discipline. “I like to go out, go to concerts and dance.
My lust for life worked against me until I decided to concentrate solely on
tennis and my career. I used to go out too much and did not get enough sleep.
Now I sleep at least eight hours every night and I don’t waste energy
elsewhere. Of course, I sometimes get the feeling that I’m missing out on
something but every win gives me more confidence that I’ve made the right
decision.”
Friends with Djokovic and Ivanovic
At the age of six months, Petkovic’s parents moved her from her native Bosnia
to Germany so that her father (and first coach) could make a living from
tennis. They were only supposed to be gone for five years but the war forced
them to stay in Germany. At the age of six, Petkovic started learning tennis
and, 13 years later, turned pro. She is now playing the best tennis of her
career but she says this is just the beginning.
“I’m only at the start of a development process that was a long time coming.
After my last season in the juniors, I was out with an injury for eight months.
Thanks to this time off, I learned the ins and outs of being professional. I
still have a lot to learn and losses are very educational. For example, my loss
to Rezai in Madrid in the Round of 16 helped me understand pressure. I need to
learn how to handle it better.” Although she is friends with Novak Djokovic and
Ana Ivanovic, she admits that Rafael Nadal’s matches are a source of
inspiration. “He has the right attitude.”
"Roland Garros is like a first love you never forget"
Despite being slated to face the defending champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, in
the second round, she is optimistic. “She’s lost a lot of matches recently so I
obviously stand a chance. Playing the defending champion is a big challenge and
an opportunity – in the world of top-level sport, you have to know how to take
advantage of these opportunities.”
In order to upset the Russian, she will need to start strong. “I am often
nervous at the beginning of a match, and it takes me a while to get into it,”
she acknowledges. “Roland Garros is my dream. This is where I competed in my
first Grand Slam in 2007, and it’s like a first love you never forget.”
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2010-05-23/201005231274642154264.html
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