Dawid Celt

Dawid Celt (Polish pronunciation: [ˈda.vit t͡sɛlt]; born 29 November 1985)^[1] is a Polish tennis coach, commentator and former player. He is the husband and former hitting partner of onetime Women's Tennis Association (WTA) No. 2 Agnieszka Radwańska. Since 2018, Celt has captained Poland's Billie Jean King Cup team.

Dawid Celt

Agnieszka Radwańska and Celt in 2015
Country (sports)	Poland
Born	(1985-11-29) 29 November 1985 (age 38) Częstochowa, Poland
Turned pro	2003
Retired	2011
Prize money	$10,968[1]
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 852 (29 September 2011)[1]
Doubles
Highest ranking	No. 1151 (15 October 2007)[1]
Coaching career
Agnieszka Radwańska (2011–2018; hitting partner) Magda Linette (2021)

Career

Celt was born in 1985 in Częstochowa, in southern Poland.^[2] His childhood dream was football, but he took up tennis at the encouragement of his father, Józef, who was a tennis coach.^[2][3][4] In his youth, Celt played both football and tennis at Victoria Częstochowa sports club, the latter under his father's tutelage, and eventually committed to just tennis.^[2]

In his late teens, Celt moved to Warsaw to develop his tennis career further, and in 2003 won a Grade 4 junior ITF event in doubles and began to play on the ITF Futures Circuit.^[2][5] However, his professional playing career ended early, in 2011, due to a serious thigh injury picked up in 2009; his peak Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles ranking was No. 852, achieved in 2011.^[1][2][6] Celt began appearing as a tennis commentator on Eurosport Polska [pl] and TVP Sport the next year.^[2][3][4]

In 2011, while still active on the ATP Tour, Celt joined the coaching team of longtime female Polish No. 1 Agnieska Radwańska, becoming her permanent hitting partner.^[6] He was also a hitting partner and assistant coach for the Polish Fed Cup team, led by captain Tomasz Wiktorowski, from 2011 to 2014.^[2] While working with Celt and Wiktorowski (Radwańska's primary coach), Radwańska reached a peak WTA ranking of No. 2, and won the WTA Fan Favorite Award six consecutive times, before her retirement from tennis in 2018.^[7][8]

Celt was named captain of the Polish contingent of the Fed Cup (later named Billie Jean King Cup) at the start of 2018.^[4][9] Celt helped take Poland to its first Billie Jean King Cup Finals in 2022.^[10] Celt and Radwańska were co-captains of Poland at the inaugural 2023 United Cup, where the country reached the semifinals.^[11][12]

Top 50 player Magda Linette, part of Celt's Billie Jean King Cup team, hired him to be her individual coach in 2021.^[13][14][15]

Personal life

Celt and Radwańska, who first met in 2008, became close when he joined her coaching team, and started officially dating in 2013.^[6] Engaged in 2016, they got married in July 2017 in Kraków,^[2][16][17] but live primarily in Warsaw.^[8][18] Radwańska gave birth to their first child, Jakub, in July 2020.^[6][19]

A native of Częstochowa, Celt is a fan of hometown football club Raków and speedway team Włókniarz.^[3][4]

References

1. "Dawid Celt". Association of Tennis Professionals. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
2. "Dawid Celt - od zawodnika do trenera i prywatnie męża Agnieszki Radwańskiej" [Dawid Celt - from player to coach and privately husband of Agnieszka Radwańska]. Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
3. Chłystek, Piotr (23 April 2021). "Dawid Celt: O Igę jestem spokojny [wywiad]" [Dawid Celt: I am calm about Iga (interview)]. Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
4. "Dawid Celt" (in Polish). City Hall of Częstochowa. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
5. "Dawid Celt Tennis Player Profile". itftennis.com. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
6. Two different versions of the same article:
   

   • "Historia miłości Agnieszki Radwańskiej i Dawida Celta. 'Rozumiemy się bez słów'" [The love story of Agnieszka Radwańska and Dawid Celt. 'We understand each other without words']. Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. 2 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
   • "'Myślałem, że ona jest nie dla mnie'. Historia miłości Agnieszki Radwańskiej i Dawida Celta" ['I thought she wasn't for me'. The love story of Agnieszka Radwańska and Dawid Celt]. Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
7. Zdankiewicz, Hubert (24 November 2018). "Trener Radwańskiej Tomasz Wiktorowski o swojej współpracy z najlepszą polską tenisistką: Agnieszka mówiła o mnie "trener Budda"" [Radwańska's coach Tomasz Wiktorowski on his cooperation with the best Polish tennis player ...]. GS24.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
8. Garber, Greg (3 November 2021). "How Radwanska transitioned from a tennis player to successful hotel owner". Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
9. "Fed Cup 2018 – Polki zagrają w Tallinn" [Fed Cup 2018 – Polish women will play in Tallinn]. Polski-tenis.pl (in Polish). 9 January 2018. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
10. "Puchar Billie Jean King: Dawid Celt wierzy w potencjał Biało-Czerwonych. 'Apetyt rośnie w miarę jedzenia'" [Billie Jean King Cup: Dawid Celt believes in the potential of the White and Reds ...] (in Polish). Polskie Radio 24. 22 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
11. "Will Polish Powers Hurkacz & Swiatek Lead Poland To United Cup Glory?". Association of Tennis Professionals. 28 December 2022. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
12. "Team USA completes victory over Poland; into United Cup final". Women's Tennis Association. 6 January 2023. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
13. Gębicz, Bartosz (24 September 2021). "Dawid Celt: Czas przełomu dla świata i dla Polski [wywiad]" [Dawid Celt: Time of breakthrough for the world and for Poland (interview)]. Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
14. Kielak, Piotr (21 May 2021). "Dawid Celt trenuje Magdę Linette. Początek nowej współpracy?" [Dawid Celt trains Magda Linette. The beginning of a new collaboration?] (in Polish). TVP Sport. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
15. Bernard, Aleksander (22 October 2021). "Magda Linette opublikowała wzruszające oświadczenie. 'Byłam zagubiona na korcie i poza nim'" [Magda Linette published a touching statement. 'I was lost on and off the court']. Sport.pl (in Polish). Agora. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
16. "Agnieszka Radwańska i Dawid Celt wzięli ślub. Galeria" [Agnieszka Radwańska and Dawid Celt got married: Gallery]. Interia.pl (in Polish). 22 July 2017. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
17. "'Dzień przed ślubem w prasie było wszystko. Byłam wściekła'. O ich weselu mówiło się sporo" ['The day before the wedding, everything was in the press. I was furious' ...]. Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. 5 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
18. "'Mój pierwszy dom'. Agnieszka Radwańska pokazała nowe zdjęcie z placu budowy" ['My first home'. Agnieszka Radwańska showed a new photo from the construction site]. Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. 10 January 2022. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
19. "Dawid Celt zdradził, jak Agnieszka Radwańska radzi sobie w roli mamy. 'Jest bardzo cierpliwa'" [Dawid Celt revealed how Agnieszka Radwańska is doing as a mother ...]. Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. 20 August 2020. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.