Star’s coaching love-match
Newlywed tennis star Agnieszka Radwanska didn’t need to persuade her husband to come to Auckland for the ASB Classic, because he’s also her coach.
The Pole will share top billing at the tournament, which starts tomorrow, alongside her great friend Caroline Wozniacki.
The former Wimbledon finalist climbed to No. 2 in the world in 2012 and returns for another tilt at a title she won in 2013 – only this time with husband/coach Dawid Celt as part of her entourage.
Radwanska said she and Celt were eager to see as much of Auckland as possible and had already been hanging out with Wozniacki.
‘‘Yesterday we had a great dinner together and with Caroline and her father,’’ Radwanska said.
‘‘It’s nice to enjoy the different cities with my husband and forget about tennis for a bit. It’s much better than not seeing each other for weeks, the tennis season is pretty long, so you’re not seeing your family very often.
‘‘I’m happy he’s around and he’s a great support all the time. I’m happy that we can work together.’’
Radwanska also quashed retirement rumours that have dogged her since her July wedding.
‘‘It was a great wedding and party and I was excited about it,’’ she said.
‘‘It didn’t really change much in my life or tennis. Tennis is still the priority and I’m still going to play, not like what the gossip was, that I was going to quit.’’
Despite having to deal with the jet lag that goes hand-in-hand with flying in from Europe on Friday, Radwanska swung into her promotional work yesterday.
After a quick practice session with Wozniacki, she took a trip up the Sky Tower to the Sugar Club restaurant, where she poured a Moe¨t & Chandon flute tower and tasted a dish created by celebrity chef Peter Gordon specially for the Moe¨t & Chandon Champagne Lounge at the ASB Classic.
But it won’t all be glamour and bubbles for 28-year-old Radwanska, who meets Beatriz Haddad Maia from Brazil in the first round, as her preparations mean she might not join in tonight’s New Year’s revelry.
‘‘I don’t have any plans. We will see how the jet lag goes. For me it’s a 12-hour time difference, which is really a lot. So I’m struggling in the evening and the goal is to stay awake until 9-10pm, so I’m not sure if I’m going to make it to midnight.’’
It’s nice to enjoy the different cities with my husband and forget about tennis for a bit. Agnieszka Radwanska