Reliquia, by Rosalía, soundtracks young Mirra Andreeva’s triumph at Philippe Chatrier, her first coronation in Paris and, therefore, in a major tournament. The Russian raises her arms and explodes with joy, watched by the greenish, glassy eyes of her coach, Conchita Martínez, who gets emotional and applauds her player wildly because it reflects the work well done, that perfect sculpting work they have both been doing for the past two years; synchronicity, patience, knowledge and, finally, the culmination of a process that guides the 19-year-old tennis player to where she was meant to arrive, naturally, because the Russian is nothing less than a precious stone that had (has) to be shaped and that sooner or later had to explode.
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It happens in Paris, where her compatriots Anastasya Miskina (2004), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2009) or the media-savvy Maria Sharapova (2012 and 2014) had previously left their mark. It’s her turn, Maja Chwalinska’s limit in a final where the crowd supports the Pole, but which points in only one direction. That’s right, little more than half an hour of intrigue and from then on, a single color: 6-3 and 6-2, after 1h 22m. The champion holds up against the replies of the first set and the second simply translates into the continuation of good work and the imbalance of forces, in the imposition of overwhelming logic. Andreeva is far superior, but so were all those who succumbed to that ‘termite’ tennis.
Beautiful and unexpected is this adventure of the world’s 114th, who from that infinite trench and with that permanent flutter has given herself the pleasure of introducing herself to the world, of climbing to position 21 and reaching the final stage of a very demanding tournament, which gives nothing away, which always requires earning it. With her thighs wrapped in bandages, Chwalinska (24 years old) rows and reaches as far as she can, but her enthusiasm is also accompanied by a few bruises; there have been ten matches in less than three weeks and the wear and tear is deciding a final in which Andreeva, euphoric and fully engaged, splendid under the timid sun that comes and goes through the 16th district, hits hard and links the glory she sought. It is one, but surely more will come.
“I know Djokovic has [then, 2023] 22… So I want to reach 25, if possible,” the champion conveyed when she first appeared on the circuit, an athletic combination of shots, appetite, and also a lot of nerves, sometimes too much tension. She wanted it so much that sometimes she overdid it. The middle ground, the great mystery of this sport. Not many figures (or potential contenders) fully understood it. Her tennis sounds like Berghain: overflowing, avalanche-like, and sometimes over-the-top. Not this time, because the work, says her coach, is taking effect: a matter of maturing. Of pausing and listening. “When she does certain things, she’s one player, and when she doesn’t, she’s another.” On the right track these two weeks.
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Leader of the year
She closes it by embedding the ball with a backhand from the T, with that rage, zap! Kneeling: I’ve got you now. The wind blows and she squeezes the trophy very hard, as if the metal were about to shatter into a thousand pieces. As if they could snatch it away. Calm, the stylish Mary Pierce, with her blonde braid, black and white dress, and long stride that led her to the French summit at the turn of the new century, year 2000, makes her see. On the other side of the net that afternoon was Conchita Martínez, who couldn’t do it that time but gets her way this time: Andreeva, her masterpiece. It is her second major as a coach after the one Garbiñe Muguruza achieved in 2017.
“On the court, you have to be a bit of an actress, put on a poker face,” the Spaniard commented then. The Russian maintains the expression, but then, as that last shot drifts, traveling towards the corner and she achieves it, the girlish smile and innocence return: “I want to thank myself ”, she displays on her jacket. She has only dropped one set —the one taken from her by Catalan Marina Bassols in the second round— and no one has won more matches this season (36) nor on clay (22). She is also the third youngest champion this century, only behind Sharapova (Wimbledon 2004) and the English Emma Raducanu (US Open 2021).
And the number four expresses herself: “Thanks to my team, sometimes I can be a tough nut to crack; it’s quite difficult to put up with me on certain days. Thank you very much for pushing me to my limits. Thank you for making me work even when I don’t want to work. And thanks to Conchita especially, for sharing her experience with me and giving me all those tips.” Before, Chwalinska apologized and received a well-deserved ovation because she wasn’t in any predictions. An unforgettable journey from the qualifying phase: “I wish you could have seen a better match, but Mirra was simply too good for me, so I guess it’s her fault… I did my best.”
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