"There was a cruel regime; I was unable to function normally, he was attacking me all the time" - Agnieszka Radwanska on her professional relationship with her father/coach

Agnieszka Radwanska has opened up about an untold story regarding her tennis career, highlighting a strained relationship with her father, who is also her former coach. Agnieszka and her younger sister Urszula - also a professional tennis player - were coached by their father, Robert, for many years after he had introduced them to tennis.

Robert coached Agnieszka Radwanska for 17 years, which included a long period during her professional career as well. The former World No. 2 recently reflected on that aspect of her life and career, revealing that her father often resorted to harsh and extreme tactics and methods of coaching.

Radwanska, who is regarded as one of the greatest Polish tennis players ever, expressed that she was always automatically expected to follow the routines and practices decided by her father/coach. She spoke about her 'cruel regime' during a recent interview with WP SportoweFakty.

"In 15 years of training with my father, the question was never asked: how are you feeling?" Radwanska said, reminiscing about the past. "Everything was perfectly planned, but Dad didn't ask what my thoughts were, how I saw the case. He imposed everything in advance."

"I constantly repressed my feelings and then I couldn't do otherwise. For a while, we operated in match-dad-war mode. After his defeats, he often remained silent for two days. We had no contact...There was a cruel regime," she added.

Radwanska herself was not afraid of failure and the challenges that come with a slump in form and being a professional sportsperson in general. What worried her was the reaction she would have to face from her father if she lost on the tennis court.

The former Wimbledon champion said Robert's attitude caused more and more differences between them as she grew up and eventually ended their professional relationship.

"As a teenager, I was not afraid of failure itself, because I understood that it happened. I felt fear as I wondered how my father would react if I stumbled. There was no word failure in his vocabulary. He was incredibly furious. Over time, I listened less and less to him, and then even avoided it. That is why it ended with our professional separation," Radwanska went on to say.

In 2011, Tomasz Wiktorowski replaced Robert as Agnieszka Radwanska's coach. She regrets that her father was less of a father and more of a coach to her and Urszula.

"A row every week, stress ... I wasn't quarrelsome, I wanted a normal atmosphere, but it didn't exist. Father was not a father to us at all, but a coach."

At one point, Radwanska was burned out and even told her father that she didn't care if she was outside the world's Top-400 in the WTA rankings, but all she needed was a break from the constant pressure.

"We lived with Ula as if we were in a monastery. Only tennis mattered. When he called after the brawl, I told him, 'I'd rather be in the 400th place in the ranking than in the tenth place, but give me a break.' At one point I was unable to function normally, he was attacking me all the time," the 33-year-old added.

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"Bad moments cannot be erased from my head" - Agnieszka Radwanska on the strained relationship with her father

Agnieszka Radwanska at the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships - Istanbul 2012 - Previews

Agnieszka Radwanska remains grateful to her father for introducing her to tennis, the sport that has given her so much success in life. However, the tension and stress caused by their relationship took the Polish superstar years to overcome and make peace with.

She has learned from the past and is not repeating her father's mistakes with her child.

"Grateful to my dad, because if it weren't for him, we would not have achieved success. On the other hand, bad moments cannot be erased from my head. It took years. Today, as a mother, I would not be able to raise a child this way," Radwanska said further.

Having said that, she is glad that her father is making up for the past now and has accepted the current situation. She said that their equation is much better now.

"Much better than before. Dad makes up for the years he lost as a father. He had two daughters, so now he feels a double joy with his granddaughter. He would still like to decide everything, but he knows that this door has been closed a long time ago (laughs)," Agnieszka Radwanska concluded as saying on the topic.

Agnieszka Radwanska retired from tennis in 2018, at the age of 29. The last few seasons of her career were marred by constant injury issues. The Polish player last played at the 2018 China Open and called time on her career soon after.