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Nadia Podoroska celebrates her triumph over Elina Switolina
Photo: CHRISTIAN HARTMANN / REUTERS
Fabrice Santoro is a former world-class tennis player. At the French Open, the Frenchman conducts the so-called "on-court interviews" on the huge Philippe Chatrier downstairs.
Immediately after the match is over, the winners will be interviewed by Santoro.
It's funny sometimes, but this time it was mostly: embarrassing.
Nadia Podoroska was the name of his interviewee.
The Argentine had just reached the semi-finals of the women's competition as the first qualifier in the history of the Grand Slam tournament.
But Santoro just didn't seem to have the name at hand even when he looked it up again.
In the end he dismissed Podoroska with the words: "Merci Nad, a oui Nadia."
At least outwardly, Podoroska didn't care.
"I know that my name was only known to insiders," the 23-year-old had said a round earlier after her success in the last 16 over Barbora Krejcikova.
The game against the Czech was already the seventh game for Podoroska in Paris, including qualification.
Many thought that the Argentine would slowly run out of strength, especially after a tough three-set match.
Not at all.
On Tuesday in the quarter-finals, it took the underdog an hour and 19 minutes to beat the world-class player and number three in Paris, Elina Switolina 6: 2 and 6: 4.
It was an impressive achievement.
Afterwards she told SPIEGEL: "I still feel very fresh. It doesn't hurt. My body works."
Resigned waving of the favorite
Podoroska, currently at number 131 in the world rankings, played high-risk tennis against Switolina.
It is the game that she has carried on from match to match in Paris throughout the tournament.
And against which her opponents cannot find a recipe.
An example: In the first sentence she made 15 slight mistakes, but compensated for them with 17 so-called "winners", the points she scored directly.
The Argentine hit the balls so precisely and with so much pressure that Switolina waved her head in resignation even before the felt ball flew over the net.
It was unusual for a player in her class - it showed a certain inferiority.
When asked about the secret of her success, Podoroska emphasized her mental strength: "I feel safe and trust my game. I am not relaxed, but I am calm on the pitch. That is the best thing that can happen to you as a tennis player," she said said of their win against Krejcikova.
She only went through this maturation process in the past few months.
"Even with targeted mental training," as she says.
The wages of the work: This year the Argentine has a match balance of 43: 6.
In January she was still at position 255 in the world rankings, after the French Open it will be a bit around 50th.
Swiatek like Podoroska
Podoroska's journey at this year's French Open is similar to that of Iga Swiatek.
The Pole did not have to go through the qualification, but is also unseen.
On Thursday they will play against each other - in the semifinals of a Grand Slam.
Swiatek, 19 years old, rushes through this tournament even more confidently than the four years older Podoroska.
She made her way into the circle of favorites in the round of 16 when she knocked the number two in the world, Simona Halep, out of the tournament in just 69 minutes.
The tennis world screamed, just a year earlier Swiatek lost in the same place and in the same round to Halep 1: 6 and 0: 6.
How could that happen?
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Iga Swiatek beat Simona Halep, among others, now she is in the semi-finals
Photo: GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS
In explaining her spectacular success, she comes full circle to Podoroska: "Mental strength is the most important thing in tennis. And those who can take the pressure are the best."
Swiatek brought a psychologist into her team, and more and more tennis professionals are taking this step.
Daria Abramowicz, a former professional sailor, has been at her side since this year.
"It made me smarter. I know more about myself through it and I transfer that to the match," said the world number 54.
Crazy women competition
On Tuesday evening, Swiatek had to wait until just before 9 p.m. to start their quarter-final game.
Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman had blocked the Center Court for a long time.
Her opponent, Martina Trevisan from Italy, another qualifier who had washed it up in this crazy women's competition, started well and quickly led 2-0 and 3-1.
But then the match tipped over.
Swiatek dominated like against Halep with quick point wins and a perfect angle game, this tactical tool so important on clay.
The 19-year-old only lost one game, and she hasn't lost a set in Paris this year.
"I didn't think it would be a quarter-finals. In the past it would have stressed me out. But the feeling is gone. I kept my routines," she said.
And she will do that in the semifinals too.
Icon: The mirror
