The cozy atmosphere of the post-confinement Roland-Garros suits him perfectly. “I don’t want to wake up”, slips Nadia Podoroska. This edition without public, or almost, should allow the young Argentina to remain in her cocoon. But at 23, the native of Rosario made a hell of a racket on the beaten earth of the Porte d’Auteuil: 131e world at the start of the Paris tournament, she became, on Tuesday, the first player from qualifying to reach the semi-final of Roland-Garros. She faces, Thursday, October 8, the Polish Iga Swiatek – another surprise of the tournament -, to extend her waking dream.
Cinderella, it’s not midnight yet 🇦🇷 @nadiapodoroska becomes the first women’s qualifier to reach the semi-finals… https://t.co/O56SFTOECw
Even deprived of the majority of its spectators, sanitary rules oblige, the Philippe-Chatrier court must seem very big to the young woman, more accustomed to the enclosures of the second division of world tennis than to the spotlights of the central court of Mecca of the clay. Before her fall adventure in Paris, Nadia Podoroska had played – and lost – only one match in a Grand Slam tournament (at the US Open, in 2016).
Established in Alicante (Spain) to be closer to the many European tournaments, the young woman led the life of a tennis worker, counting every expense, finding the cheapest flights to avoid burning her budget. When, two years ago, “Too many injuries” on the wrist interrupted his progress and excluded him from the circuit for eight months, Nadia Podorosca considered throwing in the towel. “I no longer had the money to replay tournaments, I didn’t know what to do”, she recalls.
In this regard, his career at Roland Garros already assures him of having more than doubled his career earnings (425,250 euros in case of defeat in the semi-final). ” I have suffered so many years and now I will have some peace of mind, I will have a ranking that will allow me to play bigger tournaments, enter the Grand Slams. ” And to reward those who accompany him.
“She is zen on the court”
Supervised by a new coach (ex-Argentinian player Juan Pablo Guzman), working with a mental trainer based on Zen Buddhism, the young woman hung on. The year 2020 – even before the season was interrupted due to the coronavirus – saw its efforts pay off. “My mental trainer taught me to take a step back, to stop looking for excuses. Instead of seeing the negative, I take advantage of the opportunities ”, she observes.
Badly embarked on her round of 16 on Sunday, where she lost the first set against the Czech Barbora Krejcikova (114th) in the cold and the wind, she ignored the external elements to concentrate on her game. ” What surprises me the most is how calm she is, how Zen she is on the court ”, notes Juan Pablo Guzman.
Rebelote in the quarterfinals, where she faced, on the center court, the first “top 20” of her career, the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, seeded number 3. “A match against a top 10, on the Central… It was a lot of new things for me, but the best in these cases is to go for it, not to think too much, she observes. I had to stay calm. “
On Sunday, the young Rosarina confided to having initiated herself to the yellow ball at the age of five, ” by [qu’elle] wanted “ : “I told my mom ‘I want to play tennis’, that’s why I started. “
If she was passionate about the exploits of the Argentine cohort – her first memory of Roland-Garros is the 100% albiceleste final in 2004, between Gaston Gaudio and Guillermo Coria – this granddaughter of Ukrainian immigrants is not born with a racket in his hands. At home, no one played tennis, but she quickly expressed the pugnacity that we see her pouring out on the Parisian courts.
Fourteen straight wins
“I have a lot of self-confidence”, smiled Podoroska after his victorious quarter-final. Having won the tournament in Saint-Malo (ITF, the second division of women’s tennis) a fortnight ago, she has won fourteen in a row, counting the qualifications.
“This year I played a lot but above all won a lot, it gives me confidence in my game.” And allows her to reiterate her dream, expressed when at 14 years and nine months, she became the second youngest Argentina (behind Gabriella Sabatini) to enter the WTA rankings: “To become the best player in the world. “
Whether she wins or loses against Polish teenager Iga Swiatek (19, 54e world player), Nadia Podoroska will enter the top 50 next week. A first for an Argentina for more than ten years.
She whose nickname, “la Rusa” (“the Russian”), is a mistake due to the error of a journalist, having presumed of her origins, does not forget her roots. “We don’t have a lot of tournaments in South America, it’s very complicated for all South American players. Maybe my results will help the young players. ”
After her victory in the quarter-finals, Nadia Podoroska dedicated her victory to her country: “Times are tough right now in Argentina because of the pandemic, so I hope to bring some joy. “ Qualifying for the final should bring even more.
Semi-final: Ida Swiatek v Nadia Podoskova, Thursday October 9, at 3 p.m.
