Beyond the Baseline: Kaja Juvan’s Journey to Re-Wiring Her Tennis and Her Life
Kaja Juvan, a rising star in professional tennis, found herself facing a challenge far beyond the court – a debilitating condition stemming from chronic stress and pushing her nervous system to its absolute limit. Recognizing she was constantly stressed and operating outside her comfort zone, Juvan realized she needed to fundamentally “reprogram her nervous system” to continue competing at the highest level. This realization lead to an indefinite hiatus from the sport and a profound shift in her approach to training and well-being.
The turning point came with the guidance of Sanz Amador, who offered a crucial counterpoint to Juvan’s previously internalized “school of suffering.” Amador consistently highlighted that Juvan performed better when relaxed, rather then relentlessly pushing herself. Juvan herself acknowledged this, stating, “I didn’t know that the brain relaxes when you have more fun. But if your feeling fear, your nervous system will tighten up. Which is quite logical, but I didn’t think about it in that way.”
This new understanding was further reinforced by a shift in viewpoint regarding her personal qualities. Previously, a coach had criticized Juvan for being “too nice” for tennis. However, her experience proved the opposite; her support network rallied around her when she stepped away from the tour to prioritize her health. both Yonex and Adidas, her racquet and clothing sponsors respectively, offered unwavering support, granting her the time she needed for recovery. Crucially, her team – coach Nik Razborsek and physical trainer Miran Kotnik – not only remained committed but embraced the opportunity to learn alongside her, even accepting reduced pay to do so.
“They both accepted lower pay than they usually woudl have and said they’d be with me through the whole recovery process,” Juvan explained. “At the end, it’s about your relations with people.”
the experience fundamentally altered their training beliefs. The focus shifted from pushing Juvan to her physical and mental extremes to preventative exercises and maintaining a solid base, with adjustments made constantly to workload and intensity. This new system demanded a high level of trust: Juvan needed to be honest about her limits, and her team needed to believe and hold her accountable.An example of this trust was when Juvan requested five days of rest, despite her coach believing at least one day of practice was necessary to prepare for an upcoming tournament. The decision ultimately rested with Juvan, recognizing that rest meant perhaps withdrawing from the event.
juvan emphasized that her team trusted she wasn’t seeking an easy out, but genuinely needed to alleviate mental strain, driven by her ultimate goal: “My priority is to be one of the best players in the world, or at least reach my personal potential - whatever that is.”
This revised approach has contributed to Juvan’s swift return to the Top 100 rankings and an improved ability to navigate the complex psychological dynamics inherent in tennis. She recognizes the need to balance attention to potentially distracting factors, such as finances and ranking points, without becoming consumed by them.
looking ahead, Juvan is pursuing a psychology major with a neuroscience minor through a partnership between the WTA and Indiana University east, inspired by her parents’ careers in medicine. She hopes to leverage her experiences and education to help others in her community, exploring the intersection of psychology and medicine. Though, she remains grounded in the present, embracing a step-by-step approach to her future, stating with a laugh, “I think if I learned anything from this, it’s to see how it goes step by step.”
