Tennis coach Zeljko Krajan makes parting dig at Laura Robson after the pair split

The British number one has been accused of lacking maturity and commitment

Thursday 09 May 2013 11:05 BST
Comments
Laura Robson of Great Britain plays a backhand in her match against Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament at the Caja Magica
Laura Robson of Great Britain plays a backhand in her match against Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament at the Caja Magica (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

British number one Laura Robson has been accused of lacking maturity and commitment by her former coach Zeljko Krajan.

The 19-year-old linked up with the Croatian after the Olympics last year and the partnership appeared to be flourishing as she defeated Kim Clijsters and Li Na to reach the fourth round of the US Open.

But Krajan, who guided Dinara Safina to world number one and is renowned as a hard taskmaster, was not a natural fit with the laid-back Robson and it emerged this week the pair had parted ways.

Krajan told The Times: "The mentality is different. I did expect more from Laura but when it doesn't go that way any more it is not the time to stay.

"She was not mature enough to do this kind of work enough times for me. She needed to be more serious and to commit herself more.

"She had to do this every day, not only in the big tournaments."

The 19-year-old has continued to climb the rankings this season and, at number 41, is within sight of being seeded at the French Open later this month.

But there have been poor results, too, with six first-round defeats on the WTA Tour and the disappointment of Great Britain's failure to reach the Fed Cup World Group.

Robson sealed her first win over a top-five player on Monday, beating Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round of the Madrid Open, but last night was beaten by former world number one Ana Ivanovic.

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in