Former world number one Dinara Safina believes that young tennis players have no sense of fear, which is why many Russians succeed in adult tournaments.
Russian tennis players Alina Korneeva and Mirra Andreeva, at the age of 16, reached the second round of the Australian Open. A year ago, Korneeva and Andreeva played in the final of the Junior Australian Open.
– Sometimes we start to think that there is no new generation, and then – boom! One appears, then two, three, four, one after the other. Once one girl in her age group starts getting results, they all start inspiring each other.
The best thing about being 16 is not being afraid. You have no doubt. Just go out there and play as hard as you can. You don’t really think about anything else. It’s a fearlessness that, unfortunately, you will never have again. You have to enjoy it while it lasts. This is the time when everyone is afraid of you because no one knows you.
In tennis we always talk about what are you going to do next year, because the first year on tour you go out on the court and you’re so excited because everything is new to you, you’re very excited. Think about how a small child begins to walk and discover the world around him. Everything he sees makes him say, “Wow, that’s amazing.” » The next day he will see the same thing and will not be very happy because the child has already gained experience.
It’s the same in tennis. You come to the circuit and experience all these first sensations: Grand Slam qualifying, main draw, second week. All new. And the next year, you feel the pressure to protect your glasses, as well as the desire to regain the fearlessness you had before. Don’t look for it. You will have new impressions and emotions, but never try to remember what it was like in the first year. As a result, those who do this start to make a lot of mistakes or change coaches because they don’t have that feeling. Never look back, look for something new,” quotes Safina Tennis.com .
Andreeva who has become the 2023 newcomer according to the WTA, will play the second round of the Australian Open with the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (6th seed), Korneeva’s opponent will be the Brazilian Beatrice Haddad-Maia (10th).
Source : MatchTV
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
