What I did!
As I already said many times;I had tremendous drive to succeed as a tennis player, and later as a tennis coach.
After the father of the 4 children fired me, I started to devote myself to my daughter Lana who was 11 years old at the time.
This my devotion to Lana was consequence of two things:
- my inner drive and
- from spite:I wanted to show the father of 4 what a mistake he made by making Lana better player than his oldest daughter Ivana
Introduction into general circumstances about Lana
Lana is my beloved daughter.Her mother and I divorced when Lana was 3 and half years old.Mother got custody of Lana, but court was fair: in deciding about visiting days.It ruled that I can see Lana once a week, and that she can stay at my place every other weekend (from Friday afternoon till Sunday, and two weeks during a summer).It was fine on the paper but did not work in pr axis because her mother did not let me.At first, I tried through government institutions, but I soon found out that they do not do their job, so I changed tactics.When Lana was old enough, I started to teach her tennis so that I can spend more time with her.
Introduction into tennis circumstances about Lana
My goal was to teach Lana tennis so that I spend more time with her on one hand,and that she learns how to play tennis on the other hand.My goal was not to try to bring her to professional level of play.
Lana was first time introduced to tennis in 1988. when she was 5 years old.I was teaching other children and I would bring her along.She would very rarely listen to me , and try to do what I told her.She preferred to play with red sand (clay),so she learned nothing, but I was glad that she was there with me on the tennis court.
Next year she started to go to elementary school, and if I wanted her to come to tennis, she would come but only if she could bring somebody from her class.At the beginning, she would sit in umpire chair while I would teach her class colleague, but with time she would participate more and more till she would not post ultimatum anymore of bringing someone with.
As her mother has had strong influence, she would complain that with me Lana is all alone so I gave her on group tennis lessons although I knew that this is waste of time (the instructor knew nothing about tennis, and children were very rowdy).After while, she saw too that it was waste of time so I took over again.
In 1991. started war in Croatia, and I was mobilized in October that year, and till spring 1992. I was in the army.During that time Lana was taking group tennis lessons.
In the spring of 1992. I was out of the army, and I was commissioned by father of 4 to teach his children.I added Lana to them.This was very good situation because I was often with Lana, and I was in position to achieve my coaching ambitions with these children.These 4 children had priority in tennis sense.
In the fall of 1992. Lana played her first tournament
Lana became my tennis priority
This situation was going very well for 2 and half years, till the father of 4 fired me.At that moment in 1994. Lana became my tennis priority.From then on I taught a lot of other chilldren tennis , but Lana was my tennis priority.Now, when I look from time distance I was led by emotions not by ratio.I will give reason for me saying such things:
- Lana was introduced to tennis early enough (when she was 5 years old)
- a lot of time between 1988 and 1992 was wasted because of objective (army) , and subjective (unnecessary group lessons)circumstances
- even when Lana was with those children she was not tennis priority.She had quality teaching, but not matching in quantity these children.In 1994. when I was fired by father of four Lana could win only one game in a set against the oldest girl
Lana¨s potential for tennis
When I look back I must admit that Lana was not ready to go on the professional path, but the circumstances were as they were, and I did what I did.Now when I look at the things from time distance that Lana was not ready as a person for something so difficult as to become professional tennis player.Her major weaknest was her mental toughness.As a child of divorced parents she was overly protected by her mother, and she did not have mental toughness for so rough task to become professional tennis player.
Other unfavorable circumstances
Things which I did not took into account that Lana is child of divorced parents, and that her mother has had very strong influence on her.Her mother even she was not participating in the process directly, did not want to let her power over Lana so she made many detrimental decisions to Lana¨s progress such as:
- she would for reasons which had nothing to do with Lana forbid her to come to tennis practice
- she replaced me several times with other coaches which showed very bad for Lana¨s tennis progress
- even that I made tremendous job with Lana she would always listen to her mother¨s advices
Accomplisments
In spite of unfavorable circumstances Lana accomplished a lot:
Her best ranking was 182 WTA
She played first international tournament in 1997 (under 14) That year she was ranked ETA 82 (European Tennis Association)
In 1998. she played ETA under 16 and was ranked ETA 5
In 1999, and 2000 she played ITF (International Tennis Federation) , and she was best ranked 122.
She started to play professional tournaments in 2000
2000 - 597 WTA
2001 - 421 WTA
2002 – 334 WTA
2003 – 293 WTA
2004 – 199 WTA
Her best results:
2004 Midland (Mi, U.S.A. ) $75.ooo quarter final from qualifications, and Bogota, Columbia $140.000 quarter final from qualifications.
She had offers for tennis scholarship from many prestigious U.S. universities