What is Performance Puzzle?
Who is it for?
How?
Mgr. Peter Lopata, PhD.
S&C coach and Sports performance analyst
He is currently engaged in the Let’s Play Tennis Slovakia project. Previously, he worked at the National Sports Centre for 11 years, including 5 years as the Head of the High Performance Department. He was also a researcher at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport and a doping officer at Slovak Antidoping Agency. In the Team Slovakia project he was a member of the Committee for the defence of the preparation plans of the best athletes of Slovakia.
As a coach or methodologist he has cooperated with various athletes, sports and organizations. He was a fitness coach of the Slovak women’s tennis team at the 3 BJKG Finals tournaments. He cooperated with Austin Krajicek (world number one for 2023 in doubles).
He has co-organized several educational projects and has long been trying to connect new research findings from sports and other sciences with proven practice and to improve the methodology of athletes‘ preparation. He received his basic education in sports sciences at FTVŠ UK in Bratislava, FTVŠaZ in Banská Bystrica and German Sport University Cologne. He is constantly trying to expand his horizons by studying at home and abroad and through practical experience.
Mgr. Pavel Smela, PhD.
S&C coach and Sports performance analyst
He gained the knowledge for his practice at universities in Bratislava, Coimbra, Vienna, as well as at international conferences, seminars and training courses. He also passed on his practical experience to students at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of Comenius University in Bratislava as an assistant professor.
He has 18 years of experience in tennis fitness training. He is currently working with Anastasia Potapova. Alex Molcan, Aslan Karatsev, Filip Polasek, Jelena Rybakina, Anna Blinkova, Ricardas Berankis were some of his tennis players on the tennis tour. He passes on his experience gained in tennis fitness to coaches and players at the Love 4 Tennis academy, where he is the head conditioning coach. He also cooperates with the Slovak national table tennis team.
His great strength is communication within the team. He considers the analysis of sports preparation to be the basis for effective planning of the training process and achieving the set goals.
Mgr. Peter Hlavac
Long-time fitness coach of top, performance and recreational athletes.
Peter is our Pro-Coach and an expert in injuries and rehabilitation.
He is a graduate of the Faculty of Physical Education, Comenius University, Bratislava, majoring in teaching and specializing in strength and conditioning.
He has been involved in coaching since 2002. He was part of several swimming, football, and fencing coaching teams. He participated in the fitness training of the youth hockey teams of Slovan and Ružinov. He was part of Dominika Cibulkova’s coaching team. For 7 years, he has been the fitness coach of the Ukrainian tennis player Ilya Marchenko. (formerly the 49th ATP player). He is part of Ján Volko coaching team.
He is a co-founder of the Brasko sports club, which is dedicated to general fitness training of children and youth through fitness gymnastics.
He is currently focusing on connecting the DNS method with the fitness and strength training of athletes.
He continues to educate himself in the field of elite sports training, because the compensation and rehabilitation component, which interests him, has become an integral part of it.
Mgr. Timotej Šuran
S&C coach and Sports performance analyst
Timo is our expert in youth training and sports diagnostics.
He has a master’s degree in strength and conditioning training and applied kinesiology from Masaryk University. He currently works at the National Sports Center in the diagnostics department, where he focuses on testing athletes‘ current performance levels. He continuously expand his knowledge by attending sports conferences, workshops, and training courses.
He has seven years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach in sports such as hockey, floorball, football, tennis and figure skating.He specializes in sports diagnostics, strength and conditioning training, and competition preparation. Based on diagnostic results, he creates training programs to ensure athletes are optimally prepared for performance. Additionally, he also focuses on injury prevention, helping his athletes compete long-term without health limitations.
Bc. Matej Gálik
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Matej is our expert in tennis and youth training.
He is Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports at Comenius University, specializing in strength and conditioning coaching. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in the same field. In addition to his university education, He regularly enhances his knowledge through professional courses, such as EXOS, focusing on expanding expertise in conditioning preparation.
Currently, He works with several international players and collaborate with the Slovak National Table Tennis Team.
His goal is to help athletes reach their peak potential through precisely designed conditioning programs based on a thorough analysis of their needs and objectives.
Matej Vajda, PhD.
Sports Methodologist & Performance Consultant
Matej is our specialist in sports methodology and education.
He focuses on maximizing athletic performance while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the training process. His work bridges sports science and practice, drawing on know-how gained from working with athletes across different performance
levels and sport specializations. He applies a systematic approach to training design, where attention to detail plays a key role in performance outcomes.
Matej has worked as a methodologist for the Slovak Canoeing Federation, where he contributed to the conceptual development of training systems. He has also served as a research fellow at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Comenius University,
publishing several scientific papers in international journals and conference proceedings.
An integral part of his professional work includes mentoring and educating coaches, developing their professional competencies, and designing effective, sustainable training systems.
Anastasiia Khitrova
Social Media Manager & Instagram Video Creator
Anastasiia works within the team as a Social Media Manager and Instagram Video Creator.
She studied at the Faculty of Architecture and Design at STU in Bratislava and has over two years of hands-on experience in social media management.
She has been playing tennis since the age of six and remains actively engaged in sports, which naturally influences her approach to content creation. In her work, she follows current trends and creates content creatively, with a strong focus on visual quality, clarity, and engagement.
