WTA Interview

Life On Tour With WTA Pro Conny Perrin: January 2015
Conny Perrin, Tennis Atlantic

January 2015 Update-Switzerland

Tournament Action in Germany and France

My season has finally started again. I went for my first tournament of the year in Stuttgart 10k on hard courts (Germany). I was very excited to be back and compete again after the hard work I put in during the pre-season for 7 weeks with my team: Joachim Weibull (tennis) & Johann Widenmark (fitness).

I lost in the second round there (in Stuttgart) to a girl (Sina Haas) who was just better than me that day & deserved to win, Of course I wasn’t satisfied with this result, but as we all know the first tournament of the year is never easy & can be tricky. I still felt pretty tired there of all the hard work I pulled off during the pre-season, but most important even though I lost against a player who was better than me that day, I gave it all & could learn a lot about myself from this tournament where I was with my tennis coach Joachim Weibull who helped me a lot, too.

In Stuttgart, I could play at least 3 matches (singles and doubles) before leaving home to Switzerland to have a few days off, reload, be as fresh & well prepared as I could for the next tournament, which was in Andrézieux-Bouthéon 25k on hard courts (France).

I arrived in France mentally & physically feeling fresher & rested, which was the plan. I had to play qualies there, which was also ok because the goal was to play a lot of matches & get back to competition better & better. Which I did. I won both of my qualies matches in straight sets & qualified for the Main Draw, where I won first round against 168 WTA & seed number 7 also in straight sets. I also passed the first round of doubles that day (Conny beat Apolline Rassat and Fiona Gervais in singles qualifying, then beat Naomi Broady in the main draw. In doubles, she and her partner Olga Doroshina of Russia beat a pair of doubles teams before losing in the semifinals).

I unfortunately lost second round of singles to #202 WTA Elista Kostova. I wasn’t able to take my chances that day & my opponent was just tougher than me in the important moments so she deserved to win, but again this match could bring me a lot to improve on, especially mentally. In doubles, I continued to win in the second round, but lost in semis later on. I finished the week with 7 matches (singles & doubs), a lot of positives to take with me and most importantly a lot to learn & improve for my next tournament which will be at the Glasgow 25k on indoor hard courts.

Before that, I will go home to Switzerland to get some rest, positive energy, calm down, go as fresh & clear as possible to Glasgow where I play singles & doubles again.

My thoughts on the Australian Open

I was really happy to see Murray make it to the final, first because I think he’s a great athlete & inspiration in general, but also because I think that his collaboration with Mauresmo shows great benefits on & off court. In my opinion, people underestimate too much the power of womens in sport or in general.

I think women have the right personality, a deep understanding for life + sport & who emotionally knows how to proceed + adapt to the person they are working with which isn’t always easy of course, but there are surely more strong women than we think out there who can do that & she’s definitely a great example, so I think we should make it a try more often & be more open about it.

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There will always be some critics but that’s how life is. I still think people should understand more the fact of changing coaches whether it’s a man or woman doesn’t matter. The process of a great understanding between a coach, athlete & team takes time & sometimes for some reasons doesn’t work. Otherwise, it would be way easier to be surrounded by the right people, but it’s not always easy to find. There are so many factors who needs to be at the right place for the most perfect environment for the player to feel good & play great tennis in a consistent way.

Otherwise, I was happy to see Rafa Nadal back out there. He’s my biggest inspiration along with Stan Wawrinka in this sport for their hard work & fighting spirit. In the women’s, it was great to see Azarenka back & definitely I always like to follow Serena Williams, one of my greatest inspirations.

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Conny Perrin
February 1, 2015

Life On Tour With WTA Pro Conny Perrin: December 2014
Conny Perrin, Tennis Atlantic

Greetings from Swiss WTA Pro Conny Perrin

December 2014 Update-Göteborg,Sweden

The 2014 season is now over for me. This season has been like a roller coaster with some positive and negative experiences. However, the negative experiences generated a very positive outcome. I have won more tournaments than ever before this year, both singles and doubles titles (4 ITF singles titles and 5 ITF doubles titles) . More importantly, I feel stronger, more positive, more energetic and more eager to go for it. But perhaps most important, I am blessed to have found a team – a tennis coach and a fitness coach and more good people around me, which isn’t always easy to find in the industry and especially when most of the time I was alone without much financial support beside my parents and other generous personal friends and connections until I was 19. It’s so important for an athlete to find people who truly understand you and know how to proceed – and therefore I know that some of the very difficult pieces in building my career are in place.

Conny won 9 ITF titles in 2014

My main goal right now is to qualify for Roland Garros qualies in 2015. I am currently working hard and preparing the best I can for 2015 with my team in Göteborg, Sweden. My other goals include playing Fed Cup for team Switzerland, reaching the WTA Top 100 and playing in a Grand Slam Main Draw. Most of all I, always want to give 100% effort and stay positive throughout this upcoming season.

Yours sincerely,

Conny Perrin
December 30, 2014

Conny working hard to prepare for the 2015 Season

Information about my coaches and the training facilities I use

In May of 2014, I got in contact with Joachim Weibull. Joachim is 48 years old and worked internationally throughout his career. Joachim has spent most of his time in Germany, USA and Sweden.

Joachim, together with my fitness coach Johan Widenmark, also a Swede with a solid base in tennis, and I have found what I know I have wanted for a long time. As a friend says: “You only know three things: You start off with nothing; you know what you do not want. you know what you want.”

Conny training with her coach Joachim

This Team – JWTA – is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and linked to PTBK which is a club renowned for its atmosphere and friendliness as well the rising tennis club with perhaps the most wanted staff in Sweden. JWTA base at PTBK provides me with a fantastic opportunity. Here, I am able to practice on perfect indoor and outdoor hard courts and also on clay indoors. JWTA is committed to focus on the individual and Joachim and Johan lives the dream of what they are doing. PTBK, as a club, is very personal and not at all a massive stadium. Moreover, some more people are linked to the efforts of JWTA and those are Mr. Pierre Dicksson, Ms. Nichole Wolf and Mr. Thomas Hoersman. They all have a passion for the sport in combination with their managerial skills from the legal, financial and corporate world which in combination with their international contacts and experience gives me further support.

Conny and her team

The setting of JWTA’s Academy in Gothenburg, right by the coast, is highly inspiring as well as meditative. All in all, the conditions, including housing etc. is well provided for me when I am in Sweden practicing. In addition, JWTA’s acknowledgement and willingness to travel with me is a blessing, something that will start in 2015.

For more information:

www.jwta.se

Pierre Dicksson, LWT Trans, pierre@lwt-trans.com,

Nichole Wolf, LWT Trans, nichole@lwt-trans.com,

Thomas Hoersman, Heptagon Capital, thomas.hoersman@heptagon-capital.com,

www.ptbk.se

Conny is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to help her secure additional funding so she can continue her quest to reach the WTA Top 100 in 2015. You can support her financially by clicking here (website in French)

Editors Note: Conny sent us a pair of writings, the first her December 2014 blog update, and the second about her coaching team and training locale. The two posts were combined.