"I needed to reprogram my nervous system," says Juvan

Kaja Juvan missed almost the entire 2024 season after being diagnosed with a functional neurological disorder. Back near the top 100, the Slovenian opens up.

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 04/12/2025 à 11h48

2 min to read

Juvan

After experiencing a real slump in her young career, Kaja Juvan seems to be back for good, stronger than ever. In 2022, the Slovenian suffered the pain of losing her father, who died of stomach cancer.

After putting her career on pause for a few weeks the following year, she was diagnosed with a functional neurological disorder in early 2024, a few weeks after playing the Australian Open.

"I learned to know my brain in a completely different way"

The 25-year-old player, currently ranked 101st in the world, returned to the tour in February 2025, more than a year after her last appearance among professionals. In an interview with the WTA, Juvan, who reached a career-high ranking of 58th, reflected on her period of doubt that kept her away from the courts for almost the entire 2024 season.

"I learned to know my brain in a completely different way. When you love someone (she is talking about her father) that much, grief is exhausting. You cannot separate the brain from the body. Our entire nervous system is controlled by the brain. Many injuries come from there. At first, one of my coaches wanted to break me mentally. He thought he could make me stronger by changing my entire personality.

"For 10 to 12 months, I couldn't calm my nervous system"

He kept saying that I was too nice to people, that I had a bad personality. It was like manipulation. When you hear that every day, even me coming from a very stable family, it eventually gets to your head. I really started to believe that you had to be unhappy to succeed.

There are many narcissists in the world. They try to highlight you, but by saying: 'I made this possible, it's thanks to me that you are good.' And if you lose, it's your fault. Basically, what happened to me is that I was in a state of panic all the time.

What was once a challenge became a source of anguish. I am not genetically predisposed to depression or anxiety, but for nearly 10 to 12 months, I would wake up and couldn't calm my nervous system. I became more and more anxious every day, but I told myself that I had to persevere, that it was good to step out of my comfort zone and that it was normal to be stressed all the time.

"Seeing how things happen step by step"

I needed to reprogram my nervous system. I didn't know that the brain relaxes when you have more fun. But if you feel fear, your nervous system tenses up.

It makes perfect sense, but I didn't see things from that perspective. I think if I learned anything from this experience, it's seeing how things happen step by step," Juvan stated for the official WTA website.