'No longer together': Karolina Pliskova's brutal split after horror year
Karolina Pliskova has parted ways with coach Daniel Vallverdu after her poor 2020 season came to an end.
The 28-year-old Pliskova appointed Vallverdu and added Olga Savchuk to her coaching team last November after splitting with Conchita Martinez.
‘GREAT NEWS’: Fans erupt over tennis champ's announcement
‘SAD DAY’: Novak Djokovic rocked by devastating tragedy
However the new team didn’t enjoy much success in the pandemic-affected season.
Pliskova lifted her only title of the year at the Brisbane International in January and crashed out in the second round of both the US Open and French Open grand slams.
“Due to the reduced number of WTA tournaments by the end of the year, the tournament in Ostrava was my last in the season,” the World No.6 tweeted on Wednesday, adding she would soon begin preparations for the upcoming season.
“Unfortunately, due to time commitments, my coach Daniel Vallverdu and I have mutually agreed to no longer work together.
“I'd like to thank Dani for the work and the time we've spent together.”
Vallverdu also works with Swiss sar Stan Wawrinka.
Pliskova has previously been coached by Jiri Vanek, David Kotyza, Tomas Krupa and Rennae Stubbs.
Bianca Andreescu to play at Australian Open
Meanwhile, Bianca Andreescu has fully recovered from a knee injury that has forced her to miss the entire 2020 season and says she’s confident of playing the Australian Open in January.
The 20-year-old Canadian, who made a massive breakthrough when winning the US Open last year, has not played on tour since the 2019 WTA Finals in Shenzhen where she retired with a left knee injury.
“I'm doing really well. The virus kind of pushed me back, and some little personal things here and there, but right now I'm good, I'm training hard ... I'm really looking forward to 2021,” the Canadian told the Tennis Majors website.
“I'm perfectly healthy. I just really wanted to take time to build everything in my life, and I think this time off really helped me do that.”
The World No.7 said she will be “one hundred per cent” in Melbourne to play the year's first grand slam.
“I wouldn't say I am ready tomorrow to play a match because I am taking it step by step, but maybe in a couple of weeks I will be good,” she added.
“I don't want to rush anything but I'm feeling good.”
Tennis Australia will decide next week whether it can stage the ATP Cup and other tournaments around the country or confine them to one city in the lead-up to the Australian Open in January.
The inaugural ATP Cup was held in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane in January but TA is considering holding the whole event in Melbourne depending on government restrictions related to Covid-19.
“Players will come in the middle of December and it will be two weeks (of quarantine) before the summer, and then they’ll have four-five weeks of being able to play tennis at Melbourne if it’s all the events,” TA boss Craig Tiley told Fairfax media.
“If not it will be events in other cities and then the Australian Open.”
with AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.
