LONDON | When she sat down in the area reserved for the media in Roehampton, the site of the “qualifiers” of Wimbledon, Carol Zhao was still struggling to describe the emotions that inhabited her. At 28, the age at which some players are thinking of retiring, the Canadian was finally enjoying her first qualification for a Grand Slam tournament.
“I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on! launched the tenacious Ontarian Journal. There are so many emotions that inhabit me.
It’s that Zhao – who is also a singer – didn’t take the typical path of a tennis player. Rather than make the transition to the pros very young, she opted for the NCAA college circuit, where she excelled. And in her professional debut, she quickly reached 131st in the world, which remains her highest ranking to this day. She is currently 166th.
But there was a shoulder injury, which kept the petite 5’6″ player off the court for a year and a half. Then, the COVID-19 has slowed its progress on the chessboard of the WTA.
A dream come true
She had tried her luck at the Grand Slam several times in recent years. But, each time, she had been shown the exit door before reaching her ultimate goal.
So, “absolutely” that this qualification for Wimbledon is a dream come true, smiled Zhao, who evolves most of the time on the ITF circuit, in the antechamber of the WTA.
“Basically, this is only my third real year on the circuit, she pointed out. But the older I get, the more I realize that there are many players who deserve their place in these big tables. So that makes it even more special.”
Finally the All England Club
What is special, too, is that at Wimbledon, the qualifications do not take place at the All England Club. They are instead played at the Roehampton Tennis Centre, some 10 minutes by car from the most legendary tennis venue.
On Thursday, in that crucial third-round match she was playing against American Coco Vandeweghe (and which she won 7-6(4) and 6-4), Zhao was playing in front of about ten people sitting directly on the grass. who were eating a sandwich while sipping a Coke.
Canada’s Carol Zhao in Roehampton in her third Wimbledon qualifying match on Thursday. Photo Jessica Lapinski
Starting Monday, the Canadian will enter the prestigious All England Club through the front door. “Here, when you win in qualifying, you really feel like you are changing levels,” she noted. So I’m really excited to live the experience.
To highlight his qualification, the organizers presented him with a small trophy. Of course it would be very ambitious for Zhao to aim for the big ornament at the end of the fortnight. But she affirms it: even if she realized a dream on Thursday, “the work has only just begun”.
2023-06-30 04:00:00
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