Of all the breakout stars in tennis this year, one of the most intriguing stories is undoubtedly Mihaela Buzărnescu. After being sidelined by two major injuries for many years, Buzărnescu has reemerged as one of the WTA’s top athletes.
Buzărnescu first turned professional in 2004 and won the junior doubles title at the US Open alongside Ioana Raluca Olaru in 2006. She went on to win a number of singles and doubles championships at the ITF level from 2006 to 2012, but was ultimately forced to take a three-year hiatus due to two knee surgeries.
With a commitment to bettering herself while unable to compete in her sport, Buzărnescu successfully obtained a Ph.D. in Sports Science from the National Academy of Physical Education and Sport, making her triumphant return to the court all the more impressive.
While Buzărnescu experienced success at a number of ITF tournaments in the years following her comeback, 2018 has indisputably been her breakthrough year. Not only did she reach her top world rankings in both singles (No. 20) and doubles (No. 28), she also won her first WTA singles title with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Maria Sakkari at the 2018 Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose. Also of note, Buzărnescu recorded the most monumental win of her career by defeating No. 4 seed Elina Svitolina in the third round of the French Open.
So, how was Buzărnescu able to experience such a meteoric rise this past year? According to Justyna Jegiolka, former professional tennis player and one of Buzărnescu’s coaches, her success is a result of the pure grit, hard work and determination.
“Mihaela always had an enormous amount of potential,” said Jegiolka. “She was a very good junior, but her injuries put a hold on her career. The last year and a half has been great to her. Finally all the sacrifices are paying off. Her story gives hope to a lot of older players, and I think that’s great.”
Jegiolka believes that Buzărnescu’s success is also a result of her uncanny ability to improve each and every time she steps foot on the court. “She has been able to stay healthy for a longer period of time. As a result, she has defeated some great players and improved her game match by match. She just continues to play great tennis,” said Jegiolka.
After finishing her professional career, Jegiolka made the natural transition to coaching. She was first introduced to Buzărnescu when the pair played doubles together on the Challenger level, where they won two tournaments. When Jegiolka finished her career, Buzărnescu invited her to accompany her to a few tournaments, and the rest is history.
Since working with Buzărnescu, Jegiolka has learned a great deal about her own coaching style. “I think that every player is different,” she said. “Most importantly, you have to adapt to your player. But it is also important to feel comfortable with them off the court. From a tactical standpoint, I analyze how Mihaela’s opponents will play against her so that she knows what to expect and can formulate her game plan.”
Jegiolka feels incredibly lucky to work with an athlete like Buzărnescu, even if she is not her primary coach. “Mihaela’s main coach will always be her dad,” she said. “I’m part of the team and travel with her from time to time. But what I love about working with Miki is that she’s a very ambitious person. It’s never a problem to get her motivated on the court, so I’m extremely lucky to work with an athlete like her.”
This fierce ambition is one of the many factors that enabled Buzărnescu to capture her first WTA title this past August. “It was really great to watch it and be part of it,” said Jegiolka. “She had already been so close to winning a title, so I knew that if she kept playing at a high level, it wasn’t a question of if, but when she would win.”
“I’m really happy for her and her win in San Jose. It was a super week for us. She played amazing tennis, and she really deserved to win after so many years of hard work in ITFs. She fought against injury to come back and win a WTA Premier event. It’s truly a great story,” said Jegiolka.
Buzărnescu’s rise this past year has been nothing short of historic, but the feat didn’t occur by accident. Her accomplishments are a true testament of where hard work, dedication, and a refusal to give in to a challenge can take you.