Czech tennis star Karolina Pliskova has hired Leos Friedl as her new coach. Pliskova, 30, announced split with coach Sascha Bajin after Wimbledon. Now, it has been revealed that Pliskova has hired ex-doubles No. 14 Friedl. Pliskova and Friedl are well-known to each other, having worked together at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, when Bajin couldn’t travel with Pliskova.
Karolína Plíšková will start working with her new coach Leoš Friedl from Cincinnati.
Friedl is 45 yo and he is a former #14 in doubles.
He was already in Kája’s team last year, temporarily replacing Bajin at Wimbledon and during the US swing.
Držim palce!https://t.co/3SWF60x3LT — Simone Curto (@CurtoSimone) July 20, 2022
It hasn’t been an easy season for Pliskova so it should not be a surprise that she turned to making changes in the hopes of returning to her best form.
Pliskova split with Bajin 10 days ago
“Even good things sometimes comes to an end. I would like to thank @BigSascha for everything he did for me and my team. It was an incredible time and i learned a lot! Mainly how to be more positive and believe in myself.
One of the best coaches out there, good luck my friend,” Pliskova wrote on Instagram after Wimbledon. Under the guidance of Bajin, Pliskova didn’t win a single title. However, she did have some notable runs during her time with Bajin as she made three finals at three big events, most notably 2021 Wimbledon.
When Pliskova hired Bajin, she was hoping he would help win her first Grand Slam. Pliskova came close to winning her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon last year as she reached the final before losing to Ashleigh Barty in three sets.
This season hasn’t been easy for Pliskova, who broke her hand during the offseason. After being forced to skip the start of the season, Pliskova kicked off her 2022 season mid-March in Indian Wells. Pliskova has been struggling with her game since returning and the offseason setback certainly affected her in a negative way.
Pliskova is just 9-11 in 2022 and it remains to be seen if she can find her game and form during the upcoming North American hard court swing.