What nobody saw behind Chwalinska's success: "It was very hard for me"
After reaching the final of Roland Garros, the Polish tennis player experienced a crisis in results that she has remedied during this Asian tour, where she won her first WTA 1000.
Maja Chwalinska is one of the great discoveries of the WTA circuit in 2026. The Polish tennis player's career changed completely at Roland Garros after reaching the final and moving from outside the top 100 to being seeded in major tournaments, and just a few days ago, she made headlines again after winning her first WTA 1000 in Wuhan. Pressure, expectations, and a sudden change of life that she discussed in an interview with the WTA.
Because no, not everything was easy after her leap to stardom at Roland Garros. Her next appearance was at Wimbledon, where she got injured at match point in her debut and had to experience the other side of the coin. Later, during the North American hard-court swing where the results continued to elude her and people began to doubt. Is Chwalinska just a one-tournament wonder? Is her playing style only effective on hard courts? Many comments and pressure on her shoulders, with doubts that she eventually dispelled in Wuhan to make a statement and silence all her critics.
"It was very hard for me. Now I live in a completely different world. Tennis remains the same, but off the court, everything is very different. Wonderful things are happening, but it is also different because of the media attention. Everyone can talk, and that poses a great challenge", said Chwalinska, who has turned the situation around by reaching the semifinals in WTA Singapore and winning WTA Wuhan consecutively.
An atypical playing style on the verge of the top 10
The truth is that the criticism aimed at Chwalinska largely stemmed from her playing style, which is as atypical as it is difficult to face. Height changes, drop shots, lobs, and a wide repertoire that confuses her opponents, which even made the Polish tennis player herself doubt for a long time. "It's something very personal, but for me, it was more about my playing style. I wasn't sure if my game could compete against the best in the world because it's not very common. I think that was my biggest uncertainty."
After reaching the final of Roland Garros, the doubts didn't disappear for her either, as she had to prove that she is not just a clay-court specialist. "I could hear the voices of others saying that I'm only good for clay, but I feel that sometimes people are just trolls who want to speak because nobody listens to them and they give up. It's tough because you're out there, and you're very vulnerable. You can't say anything. I'm very happy to have proven to myself that I can play on any surface."
That said, now that she is ranked 11th in the world and on the verge of the top 10, she prefers to continue as she has so far, without seeking anything new. "I feel that my mentality isn't going to change because it works for me. I just want to give my best, win every match, and have no regrets. If I win, great. If I lose, I suppose that's how it should be. Right now, I'm not thinking about the ranking, and honestly, I've never been good at setting ranking goals. They don't motivate me at all. I'm simply trying to focus on what I can improve in my game and in myself," she concluded.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Lo que nadie vio tras el éxito de Chwalinska: "Fue muy duro para mí"