A new Alexandrova lands on the circuit

Fernando Murciego | 5 Feb 2025 | 20.30

Ekaterina Alexandrova poses with her title in Linz 2025. Source: Getty

Streaming ATP Indian Wells MD live tennis

🎾 Granollers/Zeballos vs Andreozzi/Guinard

Sign up with Bet365 here
Make your first deposit of at least €5
Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Watch the match on Bet365

She is the typical player who is always there but never quite makes it. Understand the phrase, I am aware of how difficult it is to reach the top 30 in the world in any discipline, but Ekaterina Alexandrova still did not know what lies beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam or what a WTA title tastes like outside of the lowest category. Last week at the WTA 500 in Linz, she remedied the second issue, prevailing over a strong field to enhance the shine of a career that had been longing for a photograph like this. In a conversation with WTA, the redemption of the 30-year-old tennis player can be interpreted, starting with the challenge of managing the 5-5 in the third set of the final against Yastremska.

“Completely, at that moment one thinks that they are right at the exact moment where everything is decided, I knew I needed to take the step at that instant, I had to seize it,” recalls the Russian about the decisive 7-5 that eventually led her to glory. “However, every time you have these kinds of thoughts, everything becomes harder. You simply cannot think that these are the last points of the match, so the best thing is to focus on each point, without hurry, without thinking about how necessary it is to do well in those moments.”

One title in Shenzen, another in Seoul, and a couple in ’s-Hertogenbosch, but always in the WTA 250 category. Alexandrova needed to prove that she had the level to climb a level higher and, moreover, to do it in one of the most historic events on the tour. “Winning a title like this feels incredible, I always dreamed of winning in Linz, but I admit it has been very difficult. The final was a tremendously physical challenge, a super difficult victory to seal because I felt like I had it in my hands. I am glad that I overcame the match, playing every point no matter what happens; I am very proud of myself,” values the player from Chelyabinsk.

“For some reason, I feel very comfortable playing indoors, I can feel that my serve works much better, everything goes better when I feel that my serve is helping me a lot. Here, both the surface and the ball adapted perfectly to my game. No sun, no wind, nothing. Everything here is predictable, you always know how the ball will bounce, so you can think much better about how you need to play, without feeling frustrated by different obstacles,” states a woman who arrived in Linz with a victory in three tournaments.

A NEW MINDSET

Maybe this new mindset has helped Ekaterina to not focus so much on some things and start giving more importance to others. Things didn't go well in Brisbane, Adelaide, and the Australian Open? Well, reset the machine and project the best intentions for the next challenge. That's how she found happiness in Linz, indicating that at 30 years old she is at a point in her life where experience and expertise could start to give her certain virtues that she didn't have before.

“Perhaps I have found a way to grow on the court, maybe now I am a less emotional player, a player who thinks much more. One learns over time not to get too frustrated with small errors, so I am very grateful for this change. I want to continue on this path for the rest of the season; right now I don't have major goals, just reaching the top 20... but I prefer to focus on the things I need to do on the court to achieve what I want to achieve,” concludes the current world No. 25.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Una nueva Alexandrova aterriza en el circuito