Chak-Chat: Anna Kalinskaya

Transcript

Hello everyone. You are on the First & Red channel. We are in New York. Today we have as our guest the wonderful Anna Kalinskaya. Hello! Thank you for taking the time for us. I got the impression that you don’t really like giving interviews. Is that true? Thank you for inviting me. Yes, I’m not a big fan of media in general. I run my Instagram very poorly for a public person. So I try to give as few as possible. We are in New York. You came from an event and didn’t even have time to change. After our interview you have another event. Tell us, how do you go to all these players’ parties? Just for 10 minutes to take a photo and that’s it? Or is it somehow different? Well, I go rarely, first of all. Second, it depends. If I go with a friend, then it’s not just to check in. If I really want to go, then I’m interested in how the party is organized, what’s on the menu. So if I’m in the mood, I go, if not, then I don’t. And what does it take for you to like it? The menu? Do you mean what kind of alcoholic drinks or food? That there would be a good dinner at the party? At least that there is something. Sometimes you come and already there were only sushi, and they were gone. So in most cases it’s like that. Okay. What’s the best party? You came and it was really fun. What stands out most? Which party do you remember? I skipped yesterday. I wanted to go to Test of Tennis. But today I talked with the girls, they said, well, Anya, you probably wouldn’t have liked it much. So it’s no big deal that I skipped it. Which party do you remember? I liked the one in Charleston, because there they invited local artists, as I understood. And they could draw your portrait, and the level was pretty good, not like on Times Square, where they just scribble something and hand it to you. But I’ve been to very few. Although before, by the way, Test of Tennis was held differently than now. It had a different format — a club. How do you like clubs? What kind of club? Parties where you have to dance to music? They used to have those? We need to bring them back. Well, I think… I heard something like that, my coach told me. But do you like that kind of thing or not really? Well, probably not. It was probably late. No, but if earlier, like at 6 p.m.? Imagine a great menu and then fiery dancing. But if they invited some artist, then yes, that’d be cool! To see him. Of course, I would like Justin Bieber. In reality it’s hard to arrange. I think it would be strange, because now everything is very focused on boundaries, this mindset on the tournament. And it would be, I think most people wouldn’t like it. Not everyone likes to be in the spotlight. For example, Iga Świątek and she quickly gets tired of it. Aryna Sabalenka, on the contrary, feeds on it, yes, it even gives her extra energy. And what about you? I get tired! Probably that’s one of the biggest reasons why I don’t like it. Because I don’t recharge from people. I recharge from my friends, from those I know. But from shootings I can’t say it gives me more energy. I’m the complete opposite of Aryna. I would probably like to recharge from this after all, but so far it hasn’t worked for me. Many believe that you blossomed later than you could have. Do you think you really blossomed later and are they right in some way? I think yes. Because when I played juniors, I was third in the world. And when you are a junior, everyone expects from you that you will keep rising further, including maybe your parents and your team. And then, when you lose, for you it’s very unusual. Some injuries start. I don’t remember any health problems when I played juniors. So everything was a new experience. And of course, it didn’t work out to win a Slam at 20, like some manage to do. I think I’m still blossoming, that last year I played well, and for me it gave again big hope that I can keep improving. And big motivation, and desire. What exactly has changed over the past two years? I can’t say that in the past two years something specific changed. I think it’s a process, after all. A couple of long years, in the last two years it probably started to come together — health appeared, fitness, and finally the team became better, I became calmer. And that also really helps on court. Tell us, who is in your team now? Did you change your fitness coach? I can say that as a junior, if you think about it, I didn’t have good physical preparation. At all. And I didn’t even think that it was that important. I realized it only a couple of years ago, when I started playing with top players. What insane physical preparation you need and how much I need to improve my body and my power. Because I myself was very skinny as a child. And to play with someone like Aryna, for example, or many girls in the tour are big. 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,600 So I realized how important it is. And about two or three years ago, after the injury, I changed my coach and since then we’ve been working together. And my tennis coach is from Argentina. Patricia. We’ve been together six years already. It’s a completely different mentality compared to the coaches I had before and like a different school. You also said in your previous interviews that she behaves completely differently on court, and she has a different approach. In what way exactly? Tell us in more detail. There is no… pressure. Not the kind of pressure that somehow squeezes you. Or you want to play better because your coach tells you, Now I want to play better because I myself want it, and I know that I can do it. She revealed in me this side, that I myself want to play and practice. Before, I used to feel that I just wanted to finish practice. And quite often that was the case, because maybe the approach was wrong. She is more specific in her attitude. That is, she’s positive, not like our coaches, who say, “Again, you can’t do anything.” We have a very tough school. On one hand, it’s good, because it builds a sports character, and it really shaped me. It helped me, and that’s how I was brought up. But it’s nice to see that it doesn’t necessarily have to be so hard, and always, always through blood and sweat and tears, that sometimes it can be pleasant. That you actually enjoy practicing. You said that’s how you were raised. Your parents were professional badminton players. Why didn’t you follow in their footsteps? I played badminton. Which racket did you hold first as a child, a tennis racket or a badminton one? I think tennis. I remember a tennis racket, at least. I played badminton for a couple of years. Naturally, my mom coached me. And my dad a little. But for me… I can’t say it hooked me as much as tennis did. I played both badminton and tennis at the same time. Two sports. Tennis is not as fast as badminton, and it was hard for me physically. There it’s very strong cardio, and the tournaments are much smaller in scale. My parents calmly told me, “Choose, if you want, pick just one.” How old were you? I was about seven or eight. At seven years old you already made a conscious choice. But I understood that I didn’t want to play badminton and tennis. I was also doing swimming, it was too much for me. I was getting tired, and they said, “Okay, pick something.” And I chose tennis and never regretted it. I don’t miss badminton. 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:22,960 So your parents took it calmly that, I would even say, they supported tennis even more. You already said that badminton players have their own training and that your mom coached you. But then she switched, I think, to tennis, and she traveled with you to tournaments? Yes, she traveled with me. Tell us, how can a badminton player help a tennis player? After all, they are similar sports, racket sports. But they are also different. In badminton the feeling for the shuttlecock is very developed. It’s not a ball, it’s a shuttlecock, but a lot of strokes are with the wrist, and there’s a huge amount of footwork. So from a young age you know what movement is, quite fast. A big plus for a child — the smash shot is basically similar to the serve motion. So some elements of the game are kind of similar, really, but the ball is much heavier, the speed is different, the ball is slower than the shuttlecock. Tennis seemed slower to me. And when I switched… So it was easier for you? You chose the easier one. You already mentioned in passing that at one point you wanted to quit tennis. But as a child, you liked it. Why? The first time I probably wanted a break was because of pressure from my mom, because I felt that I had to go to practice, and I didn’t want to anymore, because I was at school, I… I liked studying. What was your favorite subject at school? Math. Cool. I had lots of friends there. I was comfortable, and after school going to practice in the cold. At one point I started to doubt whether I needed it. The second time I was 18, I played the US Open. Junior? No, adult. In the qualifying I lost to a Japanese player. She was older, I don’t remember her surname exactly. I was up five–one in the first set, then lost it 5–7, 0–6, I think it was the first or second round, most likely the first. That was exactly the period when I was transitioning from juniors to adults. And probably there were big expectations. Yours or your parents’? I think more from my parents, from my parents. Then I started to feel that I must, I must, and it wasn’t working. You get upset. At that moment I took a break for a couple of months. I remember, but my best friend… I don’t know, maybe it was fate. My best friend played tennis and she said, “Come with me to practice.” I said, “Well, okay, nothing else to do, I’ll go.” And then there was training camp in December in Moscow. It was cold. Well, okay, I’ll fly I’ll fly to Dubai for training camp. I always liked playing. But I had problems with pressure. And there we trained together. And then Manyukova helped me. She asked me, “What are you even doing?” I said, “I don’t know, I don’t have a coach, so it’s hard to plan anything without a coach.” And at that moment she helped me, she flew herself to Australia. For the first time in my life I got through qualifying. For me that was wow! And from that moment I didn’t think about quitting anymore. The thoughts disappeared. What is your relationship with your parents now? Good. Much better than it was, because I kind of grew up. I don’t spend as much time with them anymore, and I would like to, but… You can already feel that when I come home, life is so different, since I’m always traveling somewhere. That’s been the case since I was 17–18. So now I’m 26, that’s eight years. And when we see each other, those moments are more special than when we were together 24/7, and there are no quarrels. They support me. They are very happy for me, proud of me, of what I’ve achieved. Is it connected that now you have a warm relationship because you kind of surpassed their success, and they calmed down? Everything worked out. I don’t know what expectations they had from me. Maybe world number one, I never asked, to be honest. I’ll ask when I go home or on the phone. Like, what did you really want from me? Why did you torment me so much? I think they have calmed down a little, and now they are more focused on other things than on my career. So maybe it has moved to the background a bit. They can call and say, “Anya, we watched your match, you weren’t bending your knees.” Of course. What top tips from them do you hear most often? Move, play focused, and with a good attitude. A positive message. You are considered one of the most beautiful players on the tour. How do you feel about that? Of course, it’s nice, but I’d like that they don’t just say “beautiful player,” but “successful player.” That’s more important. Do players often ask you out on dates? Tennis players — more often before. Now I’m older. I don’t know, so… For some it’s just no chance at all. No need to write. Someone wrote like 10 times and then gave up. Won’t you tell who was that desperate one who wrote 10 times? I’ll say it now, but just… Holger Rune. He writes to everyone. He deserves all this. Thinks too much of himself. Maybe he’s just that hopeless, but he’s not the only one. So you’ve got quite a list? Well, a couple, yes. So they’re basically banging their heads against the wall, and you just ghost them, or you reply with one-word messages, I don’t know? No, I don’t reply, I just don’t reply. You freeze them out. Now he’ll be happy that I even saw it. Tell me, why do you think it’s difficult to build relationships with tennis players? I know a couple of guys, my friend also dated a tennis player, and they’re kind of unusual. What exactly is wrong with them? They’re a bit depressive to me. They’re very fixated. Girls are also fixated on results. But I haven’t noticed that girls would be… I think girls are more positive. Guys, if they fail to win a match or don’t reach their goal, then for them it’s everything. No life And for girls I see they have a broader, broader outlook. If we’re talking about top-10 players, the schedule is very tough and it’s difficult to build a personal life, and to have any kind of balance. Tennis players are selfish, it’s all about themselves, “support me, me. I have this schedule, adjust to me.” Well, not completely selfish, but a little. They won’t tell you straight to your face, still, with a person I want to support. And that’s normal. Because if you love a person, you want to help and be comfortable with them. But you also need to give back to your partner. So constantly supporting is hard. What qualities do you value in men? Honesty, generosity, kindness, and… Wisdom. That he’s wiser than the girl. I have a little blitz for you. Imagine you had a bad day. How would you like your other half to support you? I have a few options. Choose: that he gives you a compliment, spends time with you, prepares a surprise, helps with things, or hugs you. Do I have to pick one? All five. Hugged and helped. If something’s needed, but not bothering me. Why? In one interview you said that you would like to switch places with Anna Kournikova. If I had to choose, I’d choose her. Was she your childhood idol? No. But I like that she’s a bright personality, that she… I don’t know her personally. So it’s hard to say for sure. But I think she liked the publicity. She married well, she has a family, children. That means good values in life. She did everything she could for her career. She was top 10. She enjoyed it, judging by her image. In her career she never won a WTA tournament. Neither have you, but you’re still playing. I didn’t know that when I said it. You also haven’t won yet, but it’s all ahead of you. You’re still playing, does it bother you that you haven’t won? Of course, I get upset, especially in the final, when it’s so close. But I believe that something bigger will come. Do you like fashion? Which brands would you like to collaborate with? I like ALAÏA, Chanel. Saint Laurent, the classic ones, nothing flashy. But you always put great looks together. Do you do it yourself, or do you have a stylist? No stylist, I do it myself. But in the future maybe I’ll try working with a stylist, who understands better what suits me and what doesn’t. Many want a contract with Nike, but to make money you need to show results. Your dog Bella became a real star at the tournament in Washington, they even gave her a separate chair and a towel. That was her star moment. Is Bella your mascot now? I have two more dogs. No, they’re all my favorites. She definitely gives me energy. But right now Bella is in New York She’s like my baby. I’d rather not. Or at least, and gives me a lot of positivity. Is it true that this is your boyfriend’s dog? what does he do? Yes. Why else would I take her? An athlete? Will you tell us who the lucky guy is? No, he’s not an athlete. He used to do sports, but not professionally. He loves sports. I think I couldn’t be with a person who has zero interest in my profession. But he works in finance. Does he come to tournaments, support you? Yes! Would you argue with that? No, I think it lifts you up. If it’s a healthy relationship and emotionally both people are mature and they understand what is good for their partner, what is bad, and they don’t try to feed their own ego or some other qualities, then love definitely doesn’t get in the way. You don’t like to show off neither yourself nor your relationships. Because happiness loves silence? Yes, absolutely. Well, we know you’ve had moments with public people, but you still tried? Well, as much as possible. I tried, and my partner also tried. But it’s hard to avoid, when two people are famous, and there were difficulties because of that too. It’s impossible to just go out on the street or go out for dinner calmly. Every time you’ll think twice whether to go somewhere or not. In those moments you also have agents on both sides. Yes, in those moments they sometimes interfere, give some bad advice like, “go here together, but maybe don’t go there together.” Did they interfere, or did you decide yourselves? No, agents, agents have nothing to do with relationships. Work is work. Personal life is personal life, off court it’s different. No one decides for us. What do you think, for a woman what is more important — career or family? For a woman — family. But it’s important for me to succeed as a person too. For me, confidence and inner peace come from what I do, from what I’m engaged in. Family is wonderful, but it’s not everything I need in life. How do you feel about the fact that tennis players interrupt their careers, become mothers, and then return to the tour? I respect that, but I can’t imagine myself in that mode. Maybe because I’ve been traveling since I was 14, since 12, and I don’t want my child from such a young age to be on planes somewhere and not go to kindergarten. It’s very important for a child’s development to have a childhood. You only have one childhood. So your ideal scenario is to start a family after your career? Yes! Do you love music? Have you been to many concerts? Whose performance did you like the most? I’ve been to both male and female concerts, and I can say that women perform much more energetically and with greater dedication than men. Of course, voice is also a talent and all that. But women — Beyoncé, Taylor Swift. When I watched their shows, I admired them as women. I had never felt that before. And when they move like that, and at the same time dance and sing and change outfits — it’s like multitasking. Which song is special for you right now? I like the song "Ordinary", but I can’t say it’s special, it just has very beautiful lyrics and somehow resonates in my soul. Annuta, quick blitz. New York or Miami? Miami. Olympics or a Grand Slam? Grand Slam. Watch your brother’s game or rest by the sea between tournaments? Watch my brother’s game. Weekend concert or Coldplay? Coldplay, because I haven’t been there. Justin Bieber or Beyoncé concert? Justin Bieber. Be a tennis player or a model? Tennis player. Hang out with friends in Dubai or Miami? Miami. Go to an exhibition or a restaurant? Exhibition. Dior or Chanel? Chanel. On a first date, you pay or he pays? He, for everything. Spend a whole day with nieces and nephews or alone with a book? With nieces and nephews. Walnut cookies with condensed milk or honey cake? Honey cake. Doubles or mixed doubles? That’s really a tough one. Doubles. Travel with your partner or travel with your dog? The three of us. Thank you so much, thank you. Good luck at the tournament. Thank you. Subscribe to First & Red, like, comment and share our videos.