31.01.2020, 00:00
Hantuchova after career: My new life is just super
Author: Karel Knap

The former world number five just refer to the Australian Open in January 2008 to the final, which she won her biggest Grand Slam success. Now in Melbourne Daniela Hantuchova she works as commentator and paired with Martina Navratilova participate in the tournament legends.

You do not regret that you have in July 2017 they took up tennis retirement?
Nah. Many inquires player wore me a new life. I replied that I feel great. But I do not want that for me either ended earlier. It depends on each tennis player in what is the situation. When it sensed that the time is right. I do the post-career to take.

What do you do most?
Perfectly normal things that previously there was no time that I put aside and that are obvious to others. Vidám friends, spending time with loved ones. Finally, I am more at home. Twenty years I had Sunday lunch with the family. Or peaceful Christmas without haste and stress of subsequent departure for the start of the season in Australia.

Sport?
Although I do not play tennis too, I'm still pretty active. I hang out skiing, golf.

Also, a lot of work.
Yes. Obviously. For example, I have repeatedly commented matches Petra Kvitova.

You mentioned in your mutual duels?
Well ... Let's be honest, Madrid I beat her l

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The rest of the interview is behind a paywall.

My Inspiration: Miloslav Mecir by Daniela Hantuchova
In the first of a new series about the people who influenced great champions, two-time BNP Paribas Open winner and former World No.5 Daniela Hantuchova selects Miloslav Mecir, the 1988 Olympic Gold medalist, who was a central figure in her career - from start to finish.

By Daniela Hantuchova

The biggest inspiration of my career was the reason I began playing tennis in the first place. In 1988, Miloslav Mecir won the Olympic gold medal for what was, back then, Czechoslovakia. I was five years old, and it was the first time I saw tennis on TV. That same day, I asked my parents if they could buy me a tennis racquet so that one day I, too, could make it to the Olympics.

I remember once I got the racquet and his photo, I slept with both beside me for a good couple of years, and I never stopped listening to “Hand in Hand,” the official song from the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul.

From then on, all I wanted to do was to one day make it to the Olympics. That dream never left my mind and I never stopped believing that it would happen. The reason why I practiced for seven or eight hours a day, did everything I could in the gym, even how I studied in school, I just wanted to be the best. That Olympic dream transferred to all parts of my life.

The first time I met him, I was overwhelmed and embarrassed all at once. I couldn’t even go up and speak to him. My father took me to the club where he was practicing, which was coincidentally where my grandmother also used to play, because I wanted was to have his signature in my diary. I stayed behind the fence because I didn’t have the courage to step onto the same court as him.

Over the years, we became really good friends. He ended up becoming the coach for the Slovakian Olympic tennis team, which made achieving my dream of finally making it to the Olympics three times all the more special. My last Olympics was in London, and so I got to play on Wimbledon’s Centre Court with him in my Player’s Box. I almost started to cry at how perfectly my dream had come true.

When I was older and had the privilege to discuss tennis with him, I got to tell him how the elegance and smoothness of his groundstrokes inspired me so much. His double-handed backhand was the shot I always admired and I hoped that even a small piece of that visualization helped shape my backhand, as well.

There was a grace to how he moved about the court, and how intelligent he was. He played with a calmness that he brings to everything he does; when I watched him work as a Davis Cup captain, he looked so peaceful in the middle of such a raucous atmosphere that I almost thought he was about to fall asleep! On the court, he wasn’t the biggest hitter but he really played each match like a chess game, and that’s what inspired me.

Interview by David Kane.

The Real DNA - Hantuchova debuts new podcast

Two-time BNP Paribas Open champion and rising tennis media personality Daniela Hantuchova has launched a new podcast, interviewing her favorite people from the sports world and beyond.
By David Kane

Former World No.5 Daniela Hantuchova traded her tennis racquet for a microphone when she retired from the sport in 2017, and the player-turned-TV commentator is expanding her growing media empire with the release of a podcast series entitled, The Real DNA.

"The reason behind launching a podcast was that I love to communicate and learn from all the inspiring people I have in my life. I thought it would be nice to able to share their stories and their real ‘DNA’ with our listeners.” said the two-time BNP Paribas Open champion, who has worked as an analyst for Amazon Prime UK in addition to producing her own web series for Tennis Channel.

“At the end of the day one of the things I cherish the most in life is being able to sit down and have a cup of coffee with people I love - my family, friends, and people I admire – and listen to their stories and their experiences in life.”

A longtime podcast listener and first-time host, Hantuchova aims for an equally intimate environment with DNA, not only a play on her first name but also a nod towards just how deep she plans to take listeners.

“I believe the most inspiring people I’ve encountered in life share certain core values as humans that have helped get them where they are – whether it was in sports or somewhere else. I want my listeners to get to know these people and understand those core values. To me, the person we become while we’re doing something is more important than where we end up.”

Promising a guest list that includes both athletes and academics, the Slovak has drawn particular inspiration from motivation speaker Jay Shetty, who hosts a podcast called On Purpose.

“He gets pretty deep into things, but at the same time he makes a lot of fun too. He achieves a nice mix of providing a learning experience as well as a joyful listen for his audience."

The Real DNA released its first episode on Sunday on Spotify, the start of what she hopes to be both a fun and fruitful journey.

"Just like everything in life, you never know how things will evolve at the beginning or where things will take you, so I’m just excited to see where this new experience leads.”

HANTUCHOVA: "IT'S NOW OR NEVER FOR A TOUR MERGER"
Posted By Joel Fruci
05/05/2020
15:01 PM

Former WTA world no.5 Daniela Hantuchova has declared the time is right to bring the men’s and women’s tours under the same umbrella, forming one governing body.

A Roger Federer tweet sparked renewed discussion around the idea in April and since, it has become one of the tennis world’s most hotly discussed issues with numerous stars past and present weighing in.

The ATP administers the men’s game only and organises its events, while the WTA does the same for the women’s tour. They are separate entities and have operated independently since their respective foundations in 1972 and 1973.

But the COVID-19 pandemic that has engulfed both the world and tennis has prompted chatter about reform within the sport, including whether both governing bodies should become one.

Influencers in tennis do not come much bigger than Federer, who tweeted to his nearly 13 million followers: “Just wondering … am I the only one thinking that now is the time for men’s and women’s tennis to be united and come together as one?”

The Swiss great replied to another tweet: “It’s too confusing for the fans when there are different ranking systems, different logos, different websites, different tournament categories.”

Generally, the response from players past and present has been in favour of the shift with a smattering of opposition. Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray voiced their support for the idea, while Nick Kyrgios was a notable opponent.

“Did anyone ask the majority of the ATP what they think about merging with the WTA and how it is good for us?” Kyrgios said on Twitter.

“We shouldn’t merge.”

American legend Billie Jean King has advocated for such a move for some 50 years and continues to be a pioneering voice. In a recent interview with CNN, King said a union between the ATP and WTA would deliver a more valuable tennis product.

The now 76-year-old has an ally in retired star Hantuchova, who believes there has never been a more ideal time to bring the tours together under one roof.

“If there is a time to do that, it’s now. Any changes that we have been waiting for so many years, if they’re not going to happen now, they’re never going to happen,” she said on Break Point.

“I’m absolutely behind the idea. I think together, we are much stronger. When people come to a tennis tournament, they buy a ticket and they buy it because they love the sport, not necessarily because of men’s or women’s tennis.

“They just want to be part of these incredible events we’ve got going on. Look at the slams.

“I feel like, especially with everything that’s going on around the world, you appreciate the tennis family even more and you just want to have everyone talking the same language.

“The changes we need to make, it’s going to be much easier to achieve when we are talking the same language. This is the time to reconsider a lot of things we used to do before the virus.

“We are more open-minded about the sport and realising how blessed and lucky we are to be involved in any way. It’s a huge privilege. Why not celebrate the sport together?”

The two tours operate under different brands, their events under different names and with varying prize purses; overall, the ATP’s is larger than the WTA’s.

Hantuchova, who boasts a career slam in mixed doubles, outlined how a merger could look, and added that tournament prize money needed to trickle further down.

“I think the way to go about it is to have the same name for every level of the tournaments, and that’s got to be the same for every level of the ATP and the WTA, with the points, with the prize money, with all of that,” the Slovakian added.

“I feel like there’s too much money at the top and we need to think about giving it to the lower tournaments.

“Some of those small tournaments, the prize money is still the same as 20 years ago but … all the expenses are maybe triple that.

“It’s almost impossible for those at the beginning to try to make it.”

The ATP nor the WTA themselves have made any comment on the possibility of a merger.

Special Good morning: I lacked confidence for greater success, says Hantuchová
The tennis player talks about her past and current career.

17. June 2020 at 13:00 VIKTOR KIŠŠIMON

Daniela Hantuchová is one of the greatest personalities of Slovak sport.

For thirteen years in a row, she was one of the 50 best tennis players in the world. She was only 19 when she reached the top fifth and it took fourteen years for Dominika Cibulková to break her record.

Hantucha's name and face are known all over the world. She experienced huge successes, even hard falls.

When she ended her professional career three years ago, she immediately and easily adapted to her new life.

The player became a moderator and commentator, during the coronary crisis she came up with and launched her own podcast, in which she hosts the biggest personalities in world tennis .

Viktor Kiššimon talked to Daniela Hantuchová in a special issue of the Good Morning podcast.

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today, 08:00 | Sports | tennis
A big life decision: Hantuchová said goodbye to a nomadic life

There is only one home. This is the motto of tennis star Daniela Hantuchová (37), when she packed her suitcases after eighteen years and left the tax haven in Monaco.
The former fifth player in the world definitely returned to her native Slovakia about a month ago, where she plans to start a family. "It's best at home," Daniela explained.

The winner of seven WTA singles tournaments during her eighteen-year professional career has visited almost every country on the planet. "Maybe I haven't been to Alaska, Siberia and other colder destinations. But it is true that I have marched almost all over the world, " Hantuchová told Jojkár's Top Star. Property in the Principality of Monaco has been a refuge for almost two decades. "It suited me there when I was playing. The training conditions there were amazing. But when I finished tennis, it occurred to me that it didn't tell me anything there anymore," continued one of the most beautiful sportswomen on the planet.

Daniela has a whole family and a circle of friends in Slovakia. People with whom she can not only share her joys, but also cry on their shoulders if her life brings something bad to her path.Something that will bother her and that is difficult to communicate over the phone or the Internet. "I said to myself that I have family and friends here, so there is nothing to deal with. The energy I get here is mainly from them. When I was younger, I didn't realize that it was important, " thought the two-time Indian Wells champion, adding:" I saw many other benefits abroad - the sea, the sun and the lifestyle. Maybe by trying and living it, I realized that the best thing is at home. It may be a cliché, but it is so. ”And where will the long-legged beauty live? During her career, she spent her free time with her mother in Viničné. Probably her address will be there for now, until I get something to my liking.

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Match Point Canada
Ben Lewis and Mike McIntyre provide weekly coverage of the ATP and WTA with a focus on Canada’s top players
Episode 26 - Daniela Hantuchova
Former WTA pro Daniela Hantuchova joins Match Point Canada

Tennis player Daniela Hantuchová with actress Zuzana Vačková: Joint business
yesterday, 11:05

Tennis player Daniela Hantuchová (37) and well-known Slovak actress Zuzana Vačková (51) have joined forces and are working on joint plans.
Even if no one would expect this combination of beauties, the opposite is true and the girls are starting a joint business, which took them all the way to Prague. And they were not hosted there by anyone other than the legendary hitmaker who "drinks coke", Michal David. What were they looking for in him? Daniela, who still hung her professional tennis career on the nail in 2017, decided to come up with something new.

She approached the sympathetic Zuzka, who agreed with the idea and together they embarked on a new project. Apparently it will be a talk show called Dani and Zuzi . "Thank you, Daniela, for being a part of it," wrote the happy Vačková, who appreciates this opportunity. Although the girls did not reveal more details, it is certain that the former representative met her music idol Michal David thanks to the filming.

"I don't know a song that has more energy in it than Nonstop. Many days when I had had enough and I was so tired that I couldn't even go to training anymore, I just wore sneakers, played this song and suddenly I had the strength to give away, " writes Daniela, who was at home with a hitmaker at home excited.

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