Beatriz Haddad Maia draws MOTIVATION from Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on dealing with pressure and nervousness ahead of her French Open semis
Beatriz Haddad Maia, the Brazilian star who has reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at the 2023 French Open spoke highly of Novak Djokovic.
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Novak Djokovic, Beatirz Haddad Maia (Images via Twitter)
Beatriz Haddad Maia, the Brazilian star who has reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at the 2023 French Open Haddad Maia downed Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. It took much determination and grit for the 27-year-old to overcome challenges and reach the last four.
However, she needs even more strength in the semi-final, where she will face World No. 1 Iga Swiatek on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Thursday (June 8). Swiatek is the toughest opponent in the clay-court Grand Slam right now, as she has already lifted two titles and is also the defending champion.
But Haddad Maia’s coach showed her a video of former World No.1 Novak Djokovic where he claimed how he felt the pressure and nervousness. The Brazilian drew motivation from this, saying that this state of mind helped her stay in focus and overcome challenges and helped her to have a different state of mind.
“As I said after my last victory, I was very tense when I played against Sorribes Tormo (in the fourth round),” Haddad Maia said at the press conference after beating Jabeur in the quarterfinal. “The day before, my coach had given me an interview with Novak which said that he felt the pressure and the nervousness. I said to myself: ‘If Djokovic and Rafa feel this pressure, why shouldn’t I? We must accept and remain humble and not fight against these emotions.”
Beatriz Haddad Maia won her previous clash against Iga Swiatek
Among the two players, it’s the Pole who is considered the favorite to win the match. But she lost her previous encounter with the Brazilian last year. In 2022, at the Canadian Open in Toronto, the two clashed in the Round of 16, where Haddad Maia was able to secure the third set and win the match 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
So what can be the biggest mistake Haddad Maia can make while facing Swiatek? Only defending and playing passive tennis as many say. Swiatek grabbed herself her second consecutive semifinal on the back of 12-match winnings streaks in Paris and is yet to lose a set.
She wastes no time in forging an attack but even then, two players have found a way to overcome her. Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka have defeated her to stop her from winning more titles this year. Both these players seemed to have found the recipe to beat the Pole. They don’t allow her to set her up and dominate the rallies from the baseline.
And talking about their energy levels, the Brazilian spent 12 hours and 55 minutes on the court (in singles and two more hours in doubles) to reach the last four. On the other hand, the 22-year-old clinched her last rounds victories by spending a mere 5 hours 32 minutes on the court. If the match ends physically like their last encounter, Swiatek will have an edge over the 27-year-old.
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Gouri Das
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