"There was a cruel regime. I was unable to function" - Radwanska on her relationship with her father/coach

Agnieszka Radwanska was coached by her father for many years as he was the one to introduce her to the sport initially.

The relationship wasn't the greatest as it was oftentimes strained and recently Radwanska opened up about it fully for the first time. The untold story is a sad one as she explained that her father used very harsh methods while coaching her.

"In 15 years of training with my father, the question was never asked: how are you feeling?. Everything was perfectly planned, but Dad didn't ask what my thoughts were, how I saw the case. He imposed everything in advance."

She continued by detailing further what she descriebd as a 'cruel regime':

"I constantly repressed my feelings and then I couldn't do otherwise. For a while, we operated in match-dad-war mode. After his defeats, he often remained silent for two days. We had no contact...There was a cruel regime"

She also explained how she wasn't afraid of failute but rather how her father would react:

"As a teenager, I was not afraid of failure itself, because I understood that it happened. I felt fear as I wondered how my father would react if I stumbled. There was no word failure in his vocabulary. He was incredibly furious. Over time, I listened less and less to him, and then even avoided it. That is why it ended with our professional separation."

While it was strained for a while it's better now:

"At one point I was unable to function normally, he was attacking me all the time but now much better than before. Dad makes up for the years he lost as a father. He had two daughters, so now he feels a double joy with his granddaughter. He would still like to decide everything, but he knows that this door has been closed a long time ago."