Conchita Martínez, the former Wimbledon champion, is now coaching Garbiñe Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam winner, and world number one Karolína Plíšková. However, she sees great potential in Czech player Marie Bouzková.
„She can reach high rankings,“ said the Spaniard at the start of their collaboration.
The 25-year-old Czech player hired the renowned coach before the season with a clear goal in mind: to achieve a career breakthrough that would propel her among the top players in the world.
„I have been working hard for many years and have gained a lot of experience, so I felt ready for the next step,“ said Bouzková, who has been living and training in Florida since she was ten, in an interview with Tennis.com.
In the previous season, she trained under her peer and childhood friend Antonín Bolardt, but it was more of a short-term solution. When Martínez re-emerged in the coaching market, the agreement came quickly.
Bouzková does not hide her admiration for the tennis legend. „I was quite nervous when we had our first training session because I knew she was watching me,“ laughed the Czech player.
Martínez is also excited about the new collaboration. „I love how driven and competitive she is. She has a lot of room for improvement as a tennis player. She is a complete professional and completely focused on tennis,“ said the former world number two.
It is evident what Bouzková needs help with. She has excellent defensive skills but lacks aggression in her offensive game.
„It is clear that I need to improve my aggressiveness. I need to better utilize the advantage that comes from my defensive skills. From the beginning, we have been talking about how I am one of the fastest players on the circuit. I need to use that both in defense and in attack,“ explained Bouzková.
„Coach Conchi will help me find better solutions on the court. Now that I have matured, I want to give everything and take advantage of all her advice,“ she added.
Due to her high ambitions, Bouzková sacrificed her beloved Christmas holidays. The preparation was demanding, even by her standards.
„It was much more intense. Not only in terms of hours spent on the court but also in how focused we were on every detail. It is new to me; we are adding a lot of new drills that I did not know,“ said the 35th-ranked player in the world, who speaks Spanish at a decent level.
Martínez described her new protégé as a „happy warrior.“ However, she wants her to be stronger and sharper.
„We want to raise my level so that I create more opportunities to be aggressive. Utilize the entire court, come to the net more often, so that I don’t have to constantly run back,“ said Bouzková.
At the Australian Open, she will have to overcome a tough draw right from the start, as she faces her compatriot Linda Nosková, who is six years younger. Many foreign experts consider Nosková as the „dark horse“ of the first Grand Slam of the season.
