Maja Chwalinska, from qualifying to the round of 16, and looking for a hotel: "I didn't expect to stay this long.."

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 31 May 2026 | 10.52

Maja Chwalinska, revolution at Roland Garros 2026. Photo: gettyimages

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Maja Chwalińska is living such an unexpected week that she hadn't even planned on staying in Paris at this stage of the tournament. The Polish player, ranked 114th in the world and coming from the qualifying rounds, has made it to the round of 16 of Roland Garros 2026 and jokingly admitted that one of her current problems is finding accommodation to extend an adventure that no one, not even herself, had imagined.

After her victory, Maja Chwalińska reflected on the long journey that has brought her to the second week of a Grand Slam. The Polish player talked about the surgery she underwent in 2022, the extremely tough moments she faced during her recovery, the people who helped her rebuild her career, and how she has learned to cope with nerves and expectations to seize the most important opportunity of her sporting life.

Who Is Maja Chwalinska, How She Plays, and Her Life Story, Revelation at Roland Garros 2026

Such an Unexpected Qualification That She's Already Thinking About the Hotel

"Well, I hope there are still some rooms available out there... or that I have enough money, you know? Because I know I earned quite a bit here, but that money doesn't come immediately. We'll see what happens, pray for me."

The remark sparked laughter in the entire room and perfectly reflected the moment the Polish player is going through. Chwalińska arrived in Paris to compete in the qualifiers and now finds herself preparing for a round of 16 that she hadn't even considered when she landed in the French capital.

"I'm definitely surprised by everything that's happening. If someone had told me before the tournament that I would reach the round of 16, I probably wouldn't have believed it. I had never been in such a situation, and that's why it's hard to say that I expected something like this. All I tried to do was focus on each match because I knew all my opponents were going to be very tough."

From Surgery in 2022 to the Second Week of Roland Garros

Behind her current success lies a much deeper story. The Polish player explained that the past few years have been marked by a long battle to regain her best form after going under the knife.

"The years following the surgery were a step-by-step process. The year 2023 was really tough, and I went through many challenging moments."

"After the surgery, it was very difficult to regain the sensations I had previously with my body. There were days when everything seemed to progress very slowly and others when things simply didn't go as expected. It was a long and often frustrating process."

The Person Who Helped Her Believe Again

One of the names she most wanted to highlight during her appearance was Yolanda Rusin, a key figure during her recovery.

"I started working with Yolanda Rusin, and she helped me immensely, especially from a physical standpoint."

"After the surgery, it was very difficult to trust my body again, and she played a fundamental role in that whole process. I will always be very grateful to her because she helped me regain sensations that I thought would take much longer to come back."

The Importance of Her Team in Difficult Times

Chwalińska also dedicated very special words to Bob, the coach she has been working with since 2020, who has become a key figure both on and off the court.

"I've been working with Bob since 2020. We have been together for six years now, and our relationship is much deeper than a simple coach-player relationship."

"It often feels more like a relationship between a father and daughter. He brings me a lot of peace of mind, and I always feel that I can rely on him. Having someone like him close by when you're going through tough times makes a huge difference."

"I've been working with Petr for approximately a year. He is a young coach with a lot of energy and a strong desire to improve. He's usually the one who accompanies me the most during tournaments and has been a very important help."

How She Learned to Cope with Nerves

One of the most interesting reflections during the press conference came when she was asked how she experiences nerves during important matches.

"It feels awful. I think each player experiences it in a different way, but for me, everything becomes heavier. My legs feel heavier, the ball seems heavier, and the entire game feels heavier."

"Sometimes you even feel like you're going to faint. There are so many emotions and different sensations happening all at once."

"Over the years, I've learned that you can't constantly fight against nerves. The first step is to accept that they exist. Some techniques work on some days and sometimes they don't work at all. The most important thing is to accept what's happening and move forward."

Six Matches and a Constant Battle Against Fatigue

"I'm definitely tired. It was a very physical match. In fact, I felt practically dead already during the first set. I'm very happy because I managed to stay healthy throughout the entire match. I tried to fight for every ball and keep competing even though I wasn't feeling my best physically."

"This is already my sixth match at Roland Garros. It's practically like having played in a Grand Slam semifinal. Luckily, I have a day off before the next match, and I'm going to try to recover as best as possible. It seems that the temperatures are also going to drop a bit, which could help."

The Tears of a Victory Hard to Assimilate

"Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what went through my mind after match point. There were too many emotions built up. I just felt enormous relief. There were many things happening at once, and I even found it difficult to identify a specific emotion at that moment."

Maja Chwalińska is starring in one of the most beautiful stories of Roland Garros 2026. The Polish player arrived in Paris with no expectations, had to overcome very challenging years after surgery that tested her career, and is now among the top 16 players of the tournament. An unexpected reality that she hadn't even planned on staying in the city for so long but confirms that all the effort made in recent years is starting to pay off.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Maja Chwalinska, de la fase previa a octavos de final y buscando hotel: "No esperaba quedarme tanto..."

Maja Chwalinska