After the last action of Thursday’s match and Jelena Janković with Casey Dellacqua and Alicja Molik, the fans awarded the former tennis players with long applause and it was not a courtesy. There were many interesting and long exchanges, and the retired players roamed the entire court. Molik in one of the actions effectively threw herself on the grass, but it did not do much – she and her partner lost 2: 6, 2: 6. However, the result may be wrong – the Polish-Serbian duo had to put up a lot, and sometimes during the exchanges you could hear the groaning of both parts of it with the effort.
Fifth gear and fun to play
She was the most tired of the four. The 37-year-old initially made more mistakes, although her efforts cannot be denied. Once she broke the spades after a long action, she grabbed her head. In another similar situation, she eloquently released the racket from her hand, and Radwańska leaned over her gasping friend. In the middle of the second set, however, both turned into fifth gear and took turns scoring points after their signature plays.
– I have to say that Jelena is doing better and better every match. Today she was playing very well. She was much better in moving and hitting the ball. She herself said that she played much better than in the first game – she praises the Polish partner.
They are so far undefeated – on Tuesday they won against Italy Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schavione 6: 4, 6: 3 and they are very close to reaching the coveted final. There were less spectacular actions in the opening meeting than in the duel with the Australians.
– We play better and better from match to match. In general, this match was much better, although we had completely different opponents. It wasn’t as easy as the result might suggest. We have a lot of fun with it. We can recall the times of real competition – adds Radwańska and this joy can be seen at every step on the London courts.
During the competition, Janković also takes care of a good atmosphere. On Thursday, Serbka often commented on individual actions, while jokingly complaining. It caused laughter from both the rest of the players and the fans sitting closest to the court, to which her words reached.
– She ran a few times like in a single and was short of breath. They counted our time two times. This is a serious game, but you can also joke. Jelena wanted there to be breaks during the games, because at one point she actually ran a lot. And when it comes to physical preparation, she is probably in a slightly worse shape than I am, so when she’s supposed to run, it becomes a bit of a problem. But she quickly returned to the game and it was gone – reports the Polish woman.
In the cloakroom they shouted “wild card”
During one of the breaks between the games, a compatriot sitting in the stands told someone on the phone that he was at the Wimbledon finalist game in 2012. He and everyone else were pleasantly surprised by the level presented by 33-year-old Radwańska, who retired from her sport almost four years ago. After the first match, she was sent back to professional competition and it was the same after the second.
– In the locker room, the girls shouted “wild card” – admits the former vice-leader of the world ranking with a smile.
A group of Polish journalists asked her if – seeing how well she was doing in London now – she would not like to play in doubles, for example at her favorite or at the Olympics, at the invitation of the organizers.
– It’s very tempting. In the Olympics, I would have someone to play with, there is no need to hide. You just need to ask what he thinks about it – said Radwańska with a smile. – However, as far as I know, the fight for medals in Paris will probably be based on flour, so I would not be convinced of it. In addition, there is still some time until the Olympics – analyzes the former tennis player, who has never liked playing on clay courts.
Eager to playful guessing, Radwanska makes a clear reservation – her return to professional play does not threaten her due to the so-called halo. – It’s about training and traveling all year round. So what I ran away from and what I absolutely do not miss. Even the doubles are not able to tempt me to come back – the former tennis player dispels the hopes of the fans.
In the last match of the group stage, he and Janković will play against Slovak Daniela Hantuchova and British Laura Robson.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
