Dealing with emotions at the masters level. Linette: Only now

You achieve a life long-awaited success. What’s your reaction? Screaming and running around in shock for a good few minutes? Jumping for joy? Cry with happiness? You can also raise your hands up, open your mouth for a second and smile. Then you go back to your usual activity at the moment. This was the joy of Magda Linette after the first promotion to the Grand Slam quarterfinals in her career. The almost 31-year-old Polish woman was surprised herself. But on the other hand, it shows that the emotional management work she has done with her coaching staff is already paying off.

The tournament starts again. Linette went to a different league, also in the media

Linette waited until the 30th appearance in the Grand Slam main bracket to pass the third round. Once she broke that line, she followed suit. Taking the next step – promotion to the eighth – gave her Monday’s victory over Caroline Garcia 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. The Polish woman surprised the tennis world, because the French seeded fourth from the middle of the previous season was in great shape and in Melbourne she was mentioned in a group of several favorites.

In a match ranked 45 in the WTA, Linette exudes calmness. It was similar in the previous two rounds, in which she also eliminated higher ranked rivals. After the big surprise of advancing to the quarter-finals in the post-match interview for Eurosport, he says that he does not feel euphoric, because there are still a few matches to be played on the antipodes. We ask her about these words and attitude at the press conference.

– It’s interesting, because when I won today, I didn’t feel euphoric. After the third round it was because I had a certain barrier in my head. Now I feel like a new tournament is starting here. That’s how I try to approach it. We’re halfway through, there’s still some work to do.

Success in life and defeating the fourth rocket of the world also translates into other issues. For the first time, the Polish woman goes to the main conference room in Melbourne, where meetings with journalists are scheduled, rather only for top players and Australians. At previous conferences with her participation, if a representative of the media from outside Poland appeared, it was rather in a single or maximum two-person team. On Monday, it is already a solid group of about 10 people with representatives of recognized newspapers.

Serve the key to victory over Garcia. Linette’s frustration. Failures and mistakes were in my head

Linette talks about the match with Garcia. That the opponent played fast from the beginning, and she served too slow at the beginning. And when she needed to speed up, she had to take care to keep her passing effective. But this duel – perhaps contrary to the assumptions of some – was not the leading topic. Most journalists have asked her about the turning point in her career that she is experiencing right now. Did she still believe – despite so many failures – that she would finally reach the 1/8 finals in the Grand Slam?

“I’ve been in the third round many times and I knew I could do it. Then I started winning against players like Ash Barty and Ons Jabeur. It gave me an extra kick that showed me that I can go far in these tournaments. I think it was more frustration than thinking or worrying. Frustration, why I don’t work out – assesses the Polish woman.

She also repeats what she has already said several times in the last few days. That the variant with a shortened inter-season break and milder loads during physical preparation turned out to be beneficial, which was dictated by her age and knee surgery. But now he also talks more about another aspect – the work he started in the summer devoted to dealing with emotions.

– Dealing with some failures, but not only in terms of the final result, but also small mistakes. It never worked out well for me. They were still in my head with the next action and the next. It took me too long to deal with them.

Breakthrough in Tampico. Valuable experience and step-by-step method

And he recalls the breakthrough moment that occurred in the final phase of the WTA challenger held in late October in Tampico.

“I was playing with a girl and she gave me a lot of trouble. In the first set, I completely fell apart. My trainers were completely surprised by this. I felt like I had let all my anger out. That was the last time I was so emotional. Since then, I have better control of them – sums up Linette.

He immediately adds that he and the coaching staff are also working a lot on improving the game itself. – Change of directions, depth of the ball sent. But I think this approach, to look at it a little differently, to mature a bit emotionally, that was an important thing. And as a team. We all did. Not only me, also coaches – he assures.

The experienced tennis player adds that it is important to try different solutions. Not all of them have to give a beneficial effect, but it’s worth checking them out.

“You have to recognize what you’re doing right and wrong, and keep trying. You finally see which things are right. It’s very heavy. I’m 31 years old and I’ve only just managed to do it now, so it’s definitely one of the hardest things for me. But now I’m happy, says Linette.

She admits that the competition is a much bigger challenge for her now than it was a few or a dozen years ago. However, it also indicates a plus – a lot of experience.

– Scored on center and side courts. I think it helps me now. I am calmer. I know how it all works, what these courts are like. And I can deal with it all a little better – sums up Polka.

This experience will certainly come in handy in Wednesday’s quarter-final, when Karolina Pliskova will stand on the other side. Linette points out that she believes she can beat the 30th seed and the more successful Czech. But he doesn’t want to think too far ahead.

“Step by step, I focus on the next match. I’m glad it’s working out for me. I do the same in the game – only the next action counts – he points out.