’18 years of patience and perseverance’ pay off for ChwalinskaImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Maja Chwalinska has climbed 93 places in the world rankings thanks to her run to the French Open finalByPhil CartwrightBBC Sport journalistPublished1 hour agoMaja Chwalinska’s French Open ended almost three weeks after it started – but her journey to the brink of a first Grand Slam title began long before that.A former Australian Open junior doubles finalist alongside fellow Pole Iga Swiatek, Chwalinska has spoken openly about the depression that led her to take a break from tennis early in her professional career.In the build-up to Roland Garros, she was playing events on the second tier of the women’s tour across Europe.Her French Open campaign began in the first round of qualifying on Monday, 18 May. Nine wins later, only teenager Mirra Andreeva stood in the way of Chwalinska becoming just the second qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open era.It was not to be for Chwalinska, who fell 6-3 6-2 to Andreeva on Saturday, but finishing runner-up will have a profound effect on her life and career.
She will climb from 114th in the world to a new high of 21st on Monday, while her Roland Garros prize money of 1.4m euros (£1.21m) is almost double what she had previously earned in her entire career.
“It’s been 18 years of hard work, patience and perseverance,” stated 24-year-old Chwalinska, who took up tennis as a young girl.
“I had to go through so much to be in this position. Life is weird sometimes and you’ve just got to do your thing and believe it will click someday, and I’m happy that it did.
“It is definitely an unforgettable three weeks for me. I’ll never forget it.”
