#87: Ema Burgic Bucko - The hard truth about becoming a tennis player
The Coaching Podcast is committed to promoting young game-changers and this week we have an exceptional story from former professional tennis player from Bosnia, Ema Burgic Bucko. Ema's story, growing up during the 'war' in Bosnia, is honest, vulnerable, and one that is often not shared within the tennis coaching industry. We appreciate the fact that Ema was willing to open up her heart, mind and soul during this episode because tennis can be a lonely sport. You will hear about Ema's pivotal sliding doors moments, the toll of injuries from overtraining and the importance of finding the right fit for your US College tennis experience.
Now that Ema is a Tennis Coach, she believes that there is no one way to coach and her top three great coaching qualities include:
- Energy - You have to role model the energy you wish to see in your players
- Connection - You have to build honest and trustworthy relationships
- Communication - It must be a two-way street. Your players must feel comfortable discussing their game with you.
Will Ema coach her own children? You will have to listen to the episode to learn more!
On a side note, Emma Doyle & Ema Burgic Bucko have partnered together to bring you ACE Coach. ACE Coach is a membership site filled with hundreds of tennis videos to improve your playing game or your coaching, and even your parenting (how to practice with your child). Together they bring youth and wisdom together adding great value to the content every month. If you are interested in discovering what they have put together - click here: Learn More
Ema Burgic Bucko grew up in a small village in Bosnia and picked a racquet for the first time when she was aged 6. From her first tennis experience, Ema was unable to put the racquet down and set her mind on becoming the best tennis player that she could be. From a young age, she experienced first-hand overseas success that soon had her climb up the International junior rankings becoming the U12, 14, 16 and 18's National Champion in Bosnia. She was ranked No. 1 in Europe for under 16’s and even won her first WTA Tour event at the age of 16 years. Growing up, training, and competing on the red clay courts of Europe, Ema’s game was built around long points, a relentless competitive drive, and her determination to never give up. She trained for many hours with some of the best players in the world and it was this time at a Spanish Tennis Academy that, unfortunately, her body began to break down and her career would be interrupted from this moment on with numerous injuries.
Despite this, Ema decided to play US College Tennis before turning pro as she valued the importance of getting an education. During her time at Baylor University, Ema was a 7 time all-American, big 12 conference player of the year and she was ranked No. 4 (singles) and No. 5 (doubles) in the Nation (NCAA Division 1). She did all of this while balancing injuries that required surgery, with studying to complete her degree in accounting. With was not easy and Ema is a positive voice for change and an advocate for athletes who also go through mental health challenges. Post College, Ema went on to play on the tour for a couple of years. She played Fed Cup for Bosnia and reached a career-high doubles ranking of WTA No. 140.
After considering a career in the accounting world, Ema realized that her passion was and has always been in tennis. Specifically, she believes in helping people of all ages and standards get better every day. During the Global pandemic, Ema started her Instagram page, ‘@TennisWithEma’ that has over <insert> number of followers who are passionate tennis players and coaches. The reason her page has been so successful is that Ema brings to life technical and tactical concepts in a simple and easy to digest way. Her videos are fun, catchy, creative and most of all help players get better faster. Emma believes;
“You can’t improve everything, every day, but you can improve something today. With the bigger picture in mind, setting clear goals, day in and day out, is the process mindset that creates incremental improvement.
I believe that there is no one way of coaching that fits all. You have to meet the player where they are. You are coaching different players, with different personalities and backgrounds, and they all have different challenges within the various stages in their life.
It's a very interesting job that changes every day.
I love what I do, and I am passionate about teaching this beautiful sport to anyone who wants to learn it. I don’t care if the student is a 5-year-old kid or a 70-year-old adult, I don’t care if it’s a beginner who has never gripped a racket before or an ATP/WTA pro player, I will teach them with the same passion.”
Ema is a USPTA ELITE Qualified Professional who cares deeply about bringing the Eastern European ‘hard working’ philosophy to the US and combining this with the joy that the game of tennis can bring to so many lives. She is married to a fellow tennis player, Atilla Bucko, and she has two children, Teo and Aston. Tennis is in their family and she wants to share her love of the game with the entire world.
Personal website: www.tenniswithema.com
Email: [email protected]
Follow Ema on Instagram: @TennisWithEma
If you are ever in Wellington, Florida, reach out to Ema for a personalized experience.
The Coaching Podcast is sponsored by Transition Coach 4 Athletes (TC4A) which is a global coaching, mentoring and US College placement service founded by former professional WTA player and US College Coach Tina Samara. You can learn more below and book in for a free consultation.
Website: www.transitioncoach4athletes.com
Email: [email protected]
