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Petra seemed to have gotten many new fans during Roland Garros so I thought it would be nice to post here in GM something more about her.
She is finaly getting famous in Croatia and after reaching 4th round there was an interesting article in "Večernji list" where her mother talks about Petra.
Also Iva Majoli said few words.
Link for article is here: http://www.vecernji.hr/sport/tenis/petra-martic-igra-pokojnog-oca-clanak-416681
I tried to translate it, I'm aware of some mistakes but you'll understand.
She is playing for deceased father.
In Duće, small tourist place near Omiš (20km from Split) one little girl who was only 4 and half years old greeted her mother who came home from handball game.
Little Petra informed her mother Sandra about serious decision. Doesn't matter that mother played handball and father Neno played football.
Petra already cemented her road with just 4 years of age.
„I want to train tennis“ – Petra said to surprised mother. She gave them explanation which her family could not dispute.
„I'm not crazy to play handball, you are always in pain when you come home“ , that's what she told me.
"My sisters also played it, so if I wasn't injured they were. Nobody in family played tennis, we had only one racquet in the house.
My husband got frightened that she would break that racquet so he bought her small one in Austria.
We made phone call to tennis club Stobreč and they told us that she is too young but I asked them to check her up,
see her and then make decision because Petra was always taller then the other kids of her generation.
So when they saw her in Stobreč they immidiately took her in.
That's how the story about tennis started, it never crossed her mind to change sport.
One could immidiately see that something good will come out of it, she never missed a ball. People were amazed, they couldn't believe it.
But Petra is real sportswoman from head to toes, I'm sorry that she is not handball player because today she would be in national team, that's for sure" – says Sandra Martic as we are drinking coffie at tennis club in Firule (part of Split).
Make no mistakes, Petra is not Firule offspring, she didn't start her tennis career here where many have, like Pilic, Franulovic, Ivanisevic, Ancic…
„She did play for tennis club Split, you have to be member of some club, but we mostly trained on courts of hotel Lav in Podstrana.
At age 8 she started to train every day, we drove her 15 km, that was the distance to courts from where we lived. “ – says Sandra.
She never neglected school and that makes her mother the most happy even today, she thinks it's Petra's biggest accomplishment.
„She properly went to school, one part of day she would train and the other she would fulfill her school duties. She graduated with highest grade in business school and that's what makes me the proudest“ – Sandra says to us.
Parrot Patrick, named after Rafter
At age 9 she was fifth at Croatian Masters for girls till age 10, because of back spasm she had to retire in match.
Her first coach was Zdeslav Ozretić, when she was age 15 Vedran Martic (ex coach of Goran Ivanisevic) took over her and now she is with Zoltan Kuharszky.
Her physio is Joško Greželj and Frane Žuvela takes care of her fitness.
Her mother was facing very hard decision when Petra was 5 years old. Her husband died in car accident, she was left alone with Petra.
„After he died I was panicking, I was not sure if I could manage all this. Those were important and difficult decisions. Petra was too small, she remembered things she used to do with dad.
Very often she would say „I used to do this with dad“, even today she plays for him.
It was not easy for her, even today she didn't get over it, nobody could.
Situation was not easy, we had certain amount of money, then I decided to do it this way and let it all happen as it's meant to be.
In the end it all ended up fine. “ – tells us Sandra Martic.
In tennis we come across many well known fathers.
Dad Djokovic, dad Dokic, here in Croatia there were dad Ivanisevic and dad Ancic and now here it's mum Martic.
„It was all needed to be done and it wasn't easy financially. I'm not the type to put pressure on, she never felt that from me.
For her the biggest pressure she created for herself was because I believed in her.
If I had to, I would do it all over again.
Petra thinks she ows me something but I say to her that nobody forced me to do it all.
Well she is big fighter, there was no possibility of her not making it.“ – says Sandra.
Petra once said that her mother doesn't choose tournaments, she chooses cities which she likes.
„I was choosing Miami, New York…Petra likes Rome.
Long ago I told her that she is Roman. In fact in Rome I found out that I was pregnant with her.
I was traveling with her till last year's Wimbledon, I went with her to America because she was there for a month so I was cooking for her.
At Wimbledon she asked me not to travel with her anymore because when I am there she wants to make everything perfect.
I didn't like to travel that much anyway so we easily made that deal.“ – says mum.
When she is not at tournaments Sandra is at TV or computer.
„All is good when matches are on TV.
It's the worst when I am following livescores, I watch those numbers changing but I can't see what is going on.“ – says Sandra.
Our hero Petra by some details reminds us of Goran Ivanisevic with whom she took photo when she was 11 years old.
„She has quite a temperament, sometimes in trainings even breaks a racquet“ – says Sandra while smiling.
„She is same now as she was as a child. She never retires in match unless she can't walk anymore.“
When they come home family Martic now live in Split, Petra hangs out with friends, family.
She loves to visit her grandma and grandpa in Podstrana.
„Most of all she likes to eat pasta and roasted lamb meet from the spit.
But, when I think about it, she likes the most that she is at home, that's what's most important for her.“ – explains mum.
We plucked through memories from Petra's childhood. Mum remembered some detail when Petra was 8 years old.
„She was all in tennis. She had a pet, parrot whose name was Patrik.
She named him after tennis player Patrick Rafter who she adored.
From women's tennis players she always liked most Justine Henin.“
As we spoke, many different congratulations were incoming to Sandra for Petra's RG success.
„I will not go to Paris, no need to change something what started out fine.“ – says Sandra
Majoli: Petra can reach top 15
However yesterday Iva Majoli travelled to Paris. 1997 Roland Garros winner and today's Croatian Fed cup captain.
Iva will take part in tournament for veterans (if you can call player who is 34 years of age a veteran) next week but she will also follow Petra Martic.
Already today she will chear for her in her match against Kerber.
„Petra has all predispositions to get to the very top of tennis, in top 15 for sure.
She is big talent and it was only a matter of time when she would explode. It was important for her to win some big match and that happened to her against Bartoli
She also has an excellent coach who is now only devoted to her and I believe she will improve a lot still.
I see her as leader of our Fed cup team in which there will be also Ajla Tomljanovic, Donna Vekic…
Women's tennis time is coming, I expect already from next year to move up a ladder in Fed cup.“ – says Majoli
Some youtube higlights of her matches:
vs Yanina Wickmayer WTA Paris 1.round 2010 set 3
