The Pole has no sponsors: starting as n.114, today at 3pm she will challenge the Russian Andreeva in the final and even if she loses she will earn more than she earned in her career
While she sensationally advanced in the main draw of Roland Garros, she who had won only one match in a Slam in her career, Maja Chwalinska’s main concern was finding the money to pay for a hotel in Paris. World number 114, coming from the qualifiers, he would never have imagined staying in the French capital for three weeks. “I hope I have enough money. I know I will earn a lot here, but the funds are not transferred quickly. Pray for me,” he said after the round of 16. The Polish company Oshee, already a partner of her friend and world number 3 Iga Swiatek, took up the appeal and intervened by covering the stay of Maja and her mother Marcela. Its logo now stands out on the shirt of the outsider from Poland, together with that of another local club (Xtb). The stage of great tennis brought her the first sponsors. Not the technical one yet. The outfits change from match to match: one time Nike, another Lacoste. “I buy my own outfits and play with the ones I have,” she explained. Things will change soon.
prizes
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Today, at 3pm, Maja will play the final of the women’s singles against the rampant teenager Mirra Andreeva. After all, he has already won his tournament. Even in the event of defeat, he will take home a check for 1.4 million euros. Before taxes, of course, but still almost double what he has collected in prizes throughout his career (864 thousand dollars). “I feel like I’m living in a bubble. I don’t really know what’s happening,” he said in recent days. The hardest period of her life – the depression that led her to take a break from tennis for a few months in 2021 – is now a distant memory. The former promising junior, at 24 years old, has finally unleashed her talent: on Monday, in the worst case scenario, she will rise to 21st place in the WTA rankings (14th in the event of a triumph).
style
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Chwalinska’s is a tale of times gone by, like her game. On a tour dominated by wonder women, this 164cm little girl relies on a varied repertoire, including lobs and bounces. “I know I play different tennis than most of the girls on the tour. I don’t have the physical characteristics to play with great strength, so I had to develop different weapons.” The final act in Paris will also be a contrast of styles. Russian Mirra Andreeva, at just 19 years old, is already number 8 in the world: by winning today she would become the youngest Roland Garros champion since Monica Seles (1992).
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