Solana Sierra: Argentina’s Wimbledon Cinderella Story

They say that when he started playing tennis he did not reach the network and that years later he took his first games a doll in his backpack. Sierra SierraOmar’s only domain and Marta Canevello, who fools in these days London a huge illusion, was born for sport. Once Omar Sierra himself told the newspaper La Capital de Mar del Plata: “With 1 or 2 years she already showed a motor capacity and an atypical coordination for age. When I was 3 years old I rented a paddle court and played to spend a low -pressure ball. He liked it.”

Before fulfilling the 4, the father took her to the brand new Bettina Fulco Telephone Academy, a fourth -fourthist of Roland Garros in 1988. But whoever became the 23rd in the world, told him that “if he gave classes he would steal the money because at that age there is no ability to coordinate and follow the ball.” Anyway, he agreed to indicate several exercises with the red balls that chopped 75 percent less and that in Argentina were not yet known.

Every three months Omar Sierra went to phones to receive new tips. And he sent his daughter’s videos to Fulco. Until at 5 he entered the school and began taking classes with her or with another teacher. At 8, even Fulco put it under Claudia Castillo, the PF that formed Francisco Comesaña, among several other tennis players, and thus also began working on his physical preparation.

However, a year later, Sierra went on to train with Hernán Cortez, from eleven United, in the first of the many (too many, actually) coaches that he had throughout his still novel career and that was changing for different reasons. Even for some who had little to do with the tennis.

Beyond that modification, the march did not stop. And that way the trips began. Omar Sierra pointed out more than once when he remembered: “We were in a Peugeot 307 that had exceeded 400 thousand kilometers. And 350 thousand made them to go with Solana to the different tournaments. We were in car everywhere. We reach Porto Alegre, Brazil. ”

River fan and almost both Marcelo Gallardo, there are photos in which she is seen with the shirt with the “9” playing chopped into a family flooded with cousins. Animal lover and with a dream you expect to realize. “If one day I can make money with tennis I would like to invest in a dog foundation”he usually tells yours.

After reaching the number 1 of Argentina in Sub 12 and Sub 14, just at age 14 it was trained again by Fulco. “I always realized that I could get. It was very cold in the competition; I didn’t get angry, I didn’t throw the games, it didn’t show if I was nervous,”said the Marplatense. “And technically I took her the best I could. When she returned to the club we tried to give her more preponderance to her serve. I knew that she was going to grow, to be great and strong. We also focused on improving the drive a lot.”he added.

With just 14 years and four months he got his first WTA point in Villa del Dique. Until Covid-19 stopped its walk. In full isolation, at home he used the garage wall like a pediment. And he returned to the circuit with a novelty: he signed a contract with the company Tenniumwhich since then handles his career. “We hired it from Argentina although now they handle it from Spain”account Martín jaitedirector of the company in Latin America. “When Solana was 16 years or less involved and contacted Enric Molina”Add the former top ten.

That was a very powerful change in his career. And Sierra made an important decision. Left Mar del Plata and settled in Canning to train with Emilio Arisquetawho was in two stages with her. Immediately, the Junior circuit had it as a great protagonist upon reaching the Flushing Meadows semifinals in 2021 and the Roland Garros final the following year.

Just in 2022 it was a little further. Carlos Rampello, the Rosario who formed Nadia Podoroska, put together a training center in Barcelona and settled to have more and better competition. Without Podoroska and Paula Ormaechea, the captain Mercedez Peace He summoned her for her first Billie King Cup. And with 17 years, in Salinas Golf and Tennis Ecuadorian, he surprised everyone in Group I of the American Zone: He won his four games against best -ranked players and was key in the playoffs classification.

Today Sierra is already established in Europe. So much that Mar del Plata returns very little. After a while with Sebastián Gutiérrezsince March your coach is Miguel Fragosoof the Rafa Nadal Academy that has its headquarters in Manacor. Fragoso is the one who accompanies her in Wimbledon while in Roland Garros, a handful of weeks ago, he was with Dani Gómez.

In these last weeks you can see a more mature saw in your game. He always hit the ball very strong and always had the attitude of going out to look for points, not being conservative. On both sides it has two sticks, but The reverse is better than the drive. The two serves are very powerful and is also physically great, which allows firm exchanges from the base before players of a better ranking.

On this point, precisely, it has a good muscle mass that allows you to throw the weight of the body into the ball. What is missing? Several things but with these characteristics should improve its leg intensity to get well to each impact. So that? Because if it arrives well stops you have how to damage its adversaries.

If you compare it to the rest of the Argentines who are fighting to get into –María Lourdes Carlé, Julia Riera or your own Podoroskawhich was once Top 40-, there it takes a huge advantage, for example. Another interesting aspect of this week is the performance it reached on the grass, a surface still unknown to her although in her time as Junior had two years of experience. The secret goes just as described above: its power. In addition, it is well physically and plays very crouched, two key aspects for the grass. Anything else? Its parallel reverse is lethal and on the grass that is a great blow.

In its Spanish base, the managers Molina and the Catalan Edu Simo They will seek to give another twist to the Sierra race. “For her, this result demonstrates all the work done in recent months. A thorn of finally making a large result in a large tournament was also removed. And with the result it will have stability in terms of its points to be able to enter the Main Draw of the US Open and enter other important tournaments that even this Wimbledon could not, ”Simo told Clarion. “But the best thing is to settle a bit on the circuit and play with the freedom to be in it. Now you can enjoy just play,” he said.

In economic terms, having also reached the third round of the most important tennis tournament in the world will change the equation to Sierra. Still losing in his next meeting, In these matches in Wimbledon he already pocketed around 170 thousand dollarswhich represents nothing less than almost 80 percent of what he added throughout his career.

Anyway, it is clear that money, although it is important for a player who will only be affirmed in the top 100, should not represent the fundamental in Sierra. The objective has to pass on the other hand: to affirm in your work team, have a stability in your tennis and take advantage of every chance that is presented to continue growing. As he is doing in recent months, as he does at All England this week. Neither more nor less.