The coach behind rising success in the British game – interview with women’s National Coach, Biljana Veselinovic
Biljana Veselinovic is one of the top coaches working in women’s tennis today – boasting a career that saw her captain the Fed Cup team in her home country of Serbia, spend 18 years working on the WTA Tour, and having worked with a multitude of players inside the top 20, such as Alize Cornet, Petra Martic, Lucie Safarova, Daria Gavrilova and many more.
Now, Veselinovic supports the British women’s players across the Pro Scholarship Programme and at the Elite level – including the likes of Harriet Dart and Katie Boulter – in her role as National Coach at the LTA.
We caught up with Veselinovic to discuss her journey to the LTA, her perspective on the modern game, the challenges she’s faced and the makings of a good coach.
Improving the women’s game in Great Britain
After 18 years on the WTA Tour and coaching individuals, I had just broken with my last player Aleksandra Krunic and at the time the LTA were hiring – it seemed like a natural fit. I wondered if maybe I needed a bit of a rest after so long travelling and excessive work, but I had always wondered what was happening at the top federations like the LTA, so it was in my mind as a good option.
One of the reasons why I took this job is because I feel that British players have an unbelievable opportunity to develop. When I arrived at the National Tennis Centre, what I saw was a fantastic gym, fitness coaches that are highly knowledgeable, and a tennis centre that would be the dream of almost any player. When I worked with Krunic, for example, she would have to drive 45 minutes to the courts, then 30 minutes to the fitness coach and then another 45 minutes to a physio, so having this all-in-one place provides a huge opportunity for the British players.
When I started, I was open and honest with Iain Bates (Head of Women’s Tennis at the LTA), I said that British girls need to be more physically prepared, and I think we’ve made strides in that direction.
With the physicality of the game increasing as well across the world, mental toughness has also become more important than ever, and I think this is another area that we’re really working on. Being able to adapt to different situations and being ready to play any point at any moment in a match is paramount to their success. Players at the top level aren’t losing because of technical skill – it’s because of fitness levels and mental toughness and that’s what gives top players the edge.
The evolution of women’s tennis
From when I started coaching the game has changed massively – watching on TV you don’t always see the small details. Girls are physically stronger – especially over the last five years or so – and I think it’s because the prize money is continuing to rise, so they can reinvest in their teams, especially a physio and fitness trainer who can travel with them on tour. In my opinion, this is why the top 50 gap is closer than ever right now.
Another important difference has been the shift to forehand dominance and there are several statistics to support this. 10 years ago, the double-handed backhand was the stronger shot for the majority of the women’s players, but the stats from 2019 say that 69% of winners are now off the forehand. I’m now structuring more of my sessions towards this and encouraging players to try and dominate the court with the forehand instead.
Players at the top level aren’t losing because of technical skill – it’s because of fitness levels and mental toughness and that’s what gives top players the edge.
Managing a coaching career with a family
It used to be very uncommon for female coaches to be on tour – this is improving now but we still make up less than 10% of the coaches in the game.
It was really challenging at the beginning – I have two kids and when I started coaching juniors they were really young. They even travelled with me to Australia when my son was a few months old and my daughter was around four, just to go and support players at a junior competition. It was difficult in the moments where I had to leave them behind, but I always tried to take them to Grand Slams with me.
To become a top coach, one thing you have to do is travel – it’s impossible to do it otherwise – and this can be the hardest thing to work out with families. I was very lucky that my husband agreed that I would be away for 25 weeks a year, but it’s difficult.
What makes a good coach?
A good coach has to have a lot of good traits, but the most important things are to have the knowledge, a good work ethic and to communicate clearly.
Players who are in the top 100 already before I work with them, they already have their own thoughts and views on their development, so it’s extremely important to listen to their feelings and see how you can help them.
You have to be honest. You can’t just say what they want to hear – without challenges they won’t progress and develop. It can be difficult to get the balance of taking them out of their comfort zone but to make them feel that they are getting better after every session.
At the beginning of the relationship, it’s important to understand their game and agree with them how they want to play – then it’s easier to create the goals and practice sessions to fit with that.
Developing trust is the most difficult thing to do – some players trust you from the beginning, but others are testing you every day. It’s essential for a player’s success and I think it comes from quality of action on both sides. Whenever they feel uncomfortable because they are trying things that they find difficult, the relationship is tested, but this is what you need to progress.