So for her to remain so composed throughout the tournament and even more throughout her speech when they crowd was showing her ZERO love? At 19 years of age?! ๐๐พ
Well done girl. Grand slam under your belt! @andreeva_mirra#rolandgarros
I've been watching Mirra for years and I am so proud of her. For her to even get a psychologist speaks so much about her. She used to have such a bad temper & let's face it-Serena said it. They always come for you as a woman when you express emotion-it's beans
@SloaneStephens@TNTSportsUS This isnโt an offense, but I thought you also participated in this tournament?? How come i see you more on photo shoot than tennis played ๐ข
This Maja chick is very easy to lose to, but she isn't a brilliant player. She's smart, defends well and uses the court well & if you aren't clever, suddenly you've lost the match. That's what she did in the semis
A 24-year-old Polish tennis player arrived in Paris last week ranked 114th in the world, with no sponsors, no guaranteed income, and no certainty she could even pay for her hotel room.
She had to win three qualifying matches just to enter the French Open main draw. Prize money is only paid at the end of the tournament, so a Polish sports drink brand quietly stepped in and covered her hotel bill.
Her name is Maja Chwalinska. And today, she plays in the French Open final.
Before this tournament, she had won exactly one Grand Slam main draw match in her entire career. She had battled depression so severe that in 2021 she couldn't get out of bed. She underwent knee surgery in 2022. She spent years grinding through small tournaments across Europe just to stay afloat.
Then she arrived in Paris, won three qualifiers, and kept winning. Zheng Qinwen. Elise Mertens. Maria Sakkari. Diana Shnaider. Nine straight matches. One set dropped.
She is now the first qualifier in French Open history to reach the final. The last time a qualifier reached a Grand Slam final, it was Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open. Raducanu won.
By simply making the final, Chwalinska has earned more prize money than her entire career combined. The runner-up cheque alone is $1.6 million. If she wins today, she takes home $3.25 million.
One week ago she couldn't pay for her hotel room.
Every time I've tried to be the girl with one suitcase, it always breaks. So I've accepted that I must just travel with 2 suitcases. I hate it but I'm tired of buying new ones