Anna Kalinskaya has spoken openly about her early development years, revealing that intense training demands during her time at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy led to a recurring back injury that still affects her career today.
Kalinskaya shared her experience on the BB Tennis podcast while speaking with former doubles world No. 1 Elena Vesnina earlier in the week. She acknowledged the quality of the academy’s facilities but said the physical demands placed on players were overwhelming for her at that stage.
“I went to the Mouratoglou Academy; they had good facilities, lots of courts and an amazing gym. I stayed there for a while. But they started demanding a huge amount of physical effort from us, and I wasn’t ready for that,” Kalinskaya said.
She explained that up to the age of 16, she had not undergone heavy physical conditioning and struggled to cope with the sudden intensity of training.
“Up to age 16, I hadn’t done much. I wasn’t ready for training, and it was always very intense. There was no individual approach. I spent time with a sparring partner, and the workload was insane.”
During that period, Kalinskaya said she began experiencing back pain, which later became the first serious injury of her career.
“I was starting to get results and playing well, but I began feeling back pain. That was my first injury. And unfortunately, that pain still comes back from time to time today.”
She added that the lack of personalised training was ultimately why she chose to leave the academy.
“I think they should have been more careful. I stopped going because there was no individual approach.”
Kalinskaya did not accuse any individual coach of wrongdoing and did not suggest intentional harm. Her comments were framed as a reflection on training philosophy and player management rather than a formal complaint.
As of now, there has been no official response from the academy, and no investigation has been announced.
