By Admin 
Kaja Juvan and Tamara Zidansek had flawless campaigns in the Billie Jean King Cup Group ‘G’ play-offs at the S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium here.
The duo dominated proceedings with two victories each, guiding Slovenia to the top of the group, and to the Qualifiers round as a result. Slovenia’s opening tie, against the Netherlands, was pivotal in shaping the final outcome. The winner of this match-up between the two best teams would be ideally placed to seal a berth in the next round.
On paper, it was the Netherlands which was fancied. The Dutch had the highest-ranked player of the group in Suzan Lamens (World No. 87), and an experienced second singles combatant in Arantxa Rus (139).
But Juvan (98) and Zidansek (162) flipped the script in grand fashion. Zidansek gave her side the ideal start, adjusting to bouncy courts in great style to dismantle Rus 6-1, 7-6(6). Juvan displayed tireless energy to wear out Lamens in a close encounter which went the distance.
High on confidence after slaying the favourite, Slovenia made short work of host India the following day. Zidansek briefly dipped but found her rhythm to get past Shrivalli Bhamidipaty 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 before Juvan cruised past Sahaja Yamalapalli 6-4, 6-2.
Zidansek’s recent success comes in a phase in her career when she just wants to enjoy playing tennis, without worrying about the results and rankings. Zidansek, 27, does not want to be hard on herself any more. “You are expected to be at your best every day, and chase points and go up the rankings and win every match. But that’s not reality. It is tough to be at your best all the time, physically and mentally. On the other side, normal life happens. You go through experiences and they make you stronger, and you gain a different view,” Zidansek explained.
Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia in action against the Netherlands.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
Zidansek’s highlight came at the 2021 French Open, where she reached the semifinal. This made her the first Slovenian female player to reach a Grand Slam last-four.
She started 2022 well, reaching a career-high ranking of 22. A COVID-19 bout, however, took a toll on her health. “I played my best tennis at the beginning of 2022. I was feeling really good on clay and hard courts. But then COVID happened. I had a really bad post-COVID recovery which took six to eight months. I couldn’t recover physically, and I could not compete at my best. When you are not at 100%, you start to lose, and it hurts your confidence. From then on, it was just a spiral,” Zidansek said.
Zidansek is now back to full fitness, and is also pursuing off-the-court passions. She has taken up a bachelors course in psychology — a healthy way to spend her free time. “Doing the bachelor’s degree — sometimes it is great because it occupies you when you have a lot of free time. But sometimes it’s a little bit too much. Overall, I’m really happy that I’m doing this. Hopefully one day I get to do a Masters as well,” Zidansek said.
Difficult phase
For Juvan, this is an era of rebuilding and healing. Juvan lost her father, Robert, to cancer a couple of years ago. This was understandably a huge blow for Juvan, who was very close to her father.
“People always look at tennis players as robots a little bit, but this is not the case. I was very, very close with my dad. He is the one that I got my competitiveness from,” Juvan said. “My world fell apart for a little bit. It is very normal to take some time to grieve. I got to say goodbye to him, to be with him in the hospital. Whenever I think about him, I think about his fighting spirit, how strong he was for me, my brother,” Juvan said.
The 24-year-old took a break from the tour after her father’s demise. “It was quite hard for me to grieve and compete at the same time. Tennis was always so fun for me, so when the fun is lost, it’s quite hard for me to compete. When I had some time off, I remembered why I love tennis. I had some time to think about my dad a little bit more. It is hard to come back to the tour again, but I think I’m slowly finding the rhythm, being more consistent,” Juvan said.
Kaja Juvan poses for the fans after winning the match against Sahaja Yamalapalli
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
A tall, powerful, supremely fit athlete, Juvan has all the attributes to go up the rankings. “It is great that I’m in the top 100, but I think that my goals are even higher,” Juvan said. Juvan, incidentally, is a close friend of World No. 2 and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek. Juvan and Swiatek used to train together when they were young, and teamed up to win the girls’ doubles gold at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.
Juvan stated that Swiatek, despite all her success, has stayed grounded. “When we were juniors, we were — until one point — playing the same tournaments and moving in the same circles. Iga didn’t change her personality when she became a top player. She’s not trying to please everyone. For me, Iga was always a friend first. I never really looked at her as a superstar,” Juvan said.
At the 2023 US Open, the friends faced other on court in a third round outing. Swiatek, then the world’s top-ranked player, whipped Juvan 6-0, 6-1.
After the match, Swiatek checked in to see if Juvan’s feelings were hurt. “Iga came to me and asked me, ‘Are we still friends?’. I said, ‘Of course we are friends. What are you talking about? It’s just one match.’ When I am on the court, I’m compete hard. And when we finish, it’s finished,” Juvan said.
Juvan enjoyed her time in Bengaluru, and is hopeful that hosting that Billie Jean Cup playoffs will raise the profile of women’s tennis in India.
“This is such a big event for India. It’s my second time here, and it’s very nice. The more people that come to the stadium, the better it is for our sport. I’m happy that the Indian girls are getting the recognition they deserve,” Juvan said.