Helena Suková

* 1965

  • “I quit playing tennis in July 1998. In fact, I quit for the first time in January but then I decided that I would like to give Wimbledon yet another chance. So I trained for it. But the breakthrough did not happen there so I quit for good after Wimbledon 1998. Immediately thereafter I had plenty of free time. I had no obligations, did not need to train, I could visit my friends, acquaitances, family. This lasted for about half a year. And then suddenly I was thinking what to do with all the free time. I got myself a dog. I would spend most of my time in Monaco as I had no obligations, did not need to train or to go to tournaments. There was simply more free time. At first you enjoy that. I hadn’t seen a racket at all for a year or a year and a half. I didn’t even know where I had left it. There is a legends’ tournament at Wimbledon, for players over thirty-five years of age. And they invited me there. I politely refused the first year. When they invited me for the second time, I felt bad about refusing again. So I gradually returned to finding out where those rackets of mine were hidden. ”

  • “I think that studying university at my age was a bit more complicated. I was being incredibly nervous during my first year. I told myself that if I fail a single exam, I would not return to school ever again. I felt like a masochist. When I was about to have my first-ever exam from anatomy, I went to the bathroom some twenty times before going there. Neve in my life have I been so nervous before a match as I were before this exam. Luckily I failed an exam for the first time only in the third year. By that time I was already an experienced student and knew that I had two more attempts. So I went on with my studies“ – Q:“What have you focused on in your theses?“ – “I dealt with life satisfaction of top-level sportspeople after their careers. I also focused on finding a recipe for preparing the sportsperson in order to ease the impacts of transfer to sport retirement. I used my personal experience as well as know-how gained from forty sportspeople from various fields whom I had approached. But I haven’t really succeeded. Everyone have their own way of fighting it. Not everybody is ready to admit that for instance family life can not replace sport for them. It is a tough thing to say to a partner.“

  • “I moved to Monaco in 1989 because with all the changes, things in Czechoslovakia were becoming a lot more complicated than before. For instance, I used to play at Sparta where they suddenly told me that they would let me train there if I paid them five to twenty thousand dollars per year. I found that incredibly complicated. Before that I have never had any trouble getting as many training hours as I needed there – both indoors and outdoors. I had a slight feeling that they were creating obstacles for me. Monaco was a solution. They made me a honorary club member and I have had the courts available whenever I needed. Of course, the weather there was also an asset. One can play outdoors there all year round. So the traning back in Europe could be more carefree. Here in Prague I had some trouble. Eventually, I quit going to Sparta and whenever I would go play at some courts, I would have to pay for it. It was a bit like begging. Even a somewhat demeaning approach towards myself. It was more pleasant in Monaco.”

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    Praha Hagibor, 28.02.2014

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    duration: 38:19
    media recorded in project Sports Stories of the 20th Century
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I did not give any thought to what would happen after my career

Helena Suková
Helena Suková
photo: archiv PB

Helena Suková was born on 23 February 1965 in Prague to a tennis family. Her mom was a former Wimbledon finalist, her father Cyril later became director of the Czech Tennis Association, and her brother Cyril was also an outstanding player. Helena thus started going to tennis courts as a child and ever since her early years was among the best players in Czechoslovakia. Because of that she had the opportunity to travel to foreign tournaments, following an individual study-plan at a grammar school and graduating with a year’s delay. Helena’s mother died when Helena was only seventeen years old. This event has had an impact on Helena. After high-school, Helena  decided to focus on her sport career. She had been at the top of her game at the time of the undergoing political changes in Czechoslovakia, being even ranked world No. 1 in doubles in 1990. In doubles, she had altogether won nine Grand Slams as well as two silver medals from Olympic Games. Nevertheless, she moved to Monaco in 1989 already since provided better conditions for training. She concluded her career in 1998, later undertaking a difficult transition to sportless life. While looking for options to fill in all the vacant time, she eventually decided to study psychology. Professionally, Helena has focused on the issue of top-level sporstpersons‘ preparation for post-career life. After graduating from university, Helena became a clinical psychologist, working mostly with sportspeople. She lives in Monaco and Prague.