Marian Vajda

the most successful tennis coach in history (20 Grand Slam Trophies)

„I enjoyed working with Pavel in Alex Mochan’s team. Pavel motivated not only Alex, but also all of us in the team. For example, he came up with a competition where we coaches had to work hard when Alex was winning matches. I remember even swimming in a frozen lake in January 😊

Of course, besides having fun, Pavel was always responsible, had a professional approach and used a methodical sequence in each activity.

I perceived Pavel to be a great asset to our team.“ 

Austin Krajicek

tennis player, no. 1 (ATP Career High), Roland Garros Champion

„Peter is the most professional S&C coach I have ever worked with. His high level of organization and well thought out preparation as well as his sound criticism allows me to compete at the highest level.“

Alex Molčan

tennis player, no. 38 (ATP Career High)

„Pavel’s training sessions are based on modern methods and the latest knowledge. He has added structure to my training sessions and we discuss their setup together. Because of his genuine interest in my improvement, he often goes above and beyond the normal collaboration. He’s a laid-back and always positively attuned dude who can deliver the right amount of motivation even in the toughest of training sessions.“

Emil Miške

tennis coach, currently the coach of Karolina Muchova no. 10 (WTA Career High)

„Based on several years of very close cooperation with Petr Lopata and Pavel Šmela, I would like to award these two sports experts in the field of fitness preparation only the best rating. They have a huge experience, excellent results and what I like very much – they are constantly educating themselves. They are team players, but what I appreciate the most is their human approach. It has been an honour to be their colleague.“

Filip Polášek

tennis player, no. 7 (ATP Career High), Australian Open Champion

„Under Pavel’s guidance I started my second career (after a 5-year forced break). It was a fabulous journey, but full of hard work. I hated our morning routines and running workouts, but I trusted him to know what he was doing, and he did. Our daily collaboration made sense to me. I would characterize it with the words: professionalism, erudition, innovation, consistency, but also a lot of fun, which he never spoiled, on the contrary… :)“

Ľubomír Pištej

table tennis player, 2020 Tokyo Olympics participant

„As regards the collaboration with Pavel and Peter, I would like to highlight their professionalism and expertise in the field. There has always been an excellent communication with the guys and they literally radiate kindness.“

Marcel Lopuchovský

successful athletic coach, he prepared many Slovak national athletes. Head of the sports department at the National Sports Centre

„I had the opportunity to work with Peter for a long time at the National Sports Centre and with hindsight I can say that Peter is one of the very few knowledgeable people in Slovakia who understand sport and especially the methodology and sport performance analysis. He knew how to implement his tests outputs into the training process in different types of sports. From a personal point of view, I would describe him as a reliable, empathic person who always tried to do his job responsibly.“

Anna Blinkova

tennis player, no. 34 (WTA Career High)

„While working with Pavel I improved my speed, endurance, agility and strength. I felt better on the court and I was able to play longer matches. Pavel is not only a competent S&C coach, but also a kind and understanding person. I enjoyed working with him and I am delighted about the progress we made together!“

Matúš Hujsa

Coach of the Police Sports Centre in water slalom, coach of the Olympic medallist Matej Beňuš. Matúš is also currently one of the best Slovak long-distance runners.

„I know Peter especially from the time of his long tenure at the National Sports Centre, when I used to go there for regular testing, first as an athlete and later as a coach with my own athletes. I could always count on the quality of testing and setting up the optimal test battery for our needs. After the testing, I always received a detailed interpretation of the testing results and relevant recommendations for training practice.“

PODCAST

Part of the Performance Puzzle philosophy is to educate anyone interested in learning more about the world of sport.
Podcast is the form in which we freely disseminate knowledge for the general public.  We draw on evidence based information as well as the experience of various outstanding athletes and coaches.
New podcast format coming soon.
Discontinued series in collaboration with the National Sports Centre.