ITF

12 Spring 2021 ITF World person who always works hard and tries to do their best. If at one point I couldn't play anymore then I would say, 'okay, at least I did everything I could'." Podoroska duly persevered and moved to Alicante, Spain in 2018 to ensure she could travel to tournaments in Europe with greater ease. She also began to clinch titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour once more – six since returning from injury, including the biggest of her career at the $60K women's event at Saint-Malo, France the week prior to her career-enhancing adventure. Momentum was there pre-Roland Garros, but nothing to suggest what was about to unfold on the clay courts of Paris, with Podoroska posting the standout win of her career against world No. 5 Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals. Playing on Court Philippe Chatrier, as she did against Svitolina and Swiatek, evoked memories from her childhood, while Roland Garros is steeped in Argentinian tennis history. The legendary Guillermo Vilas triumphed there in 1977, Gabriela Sabatini reached the semi- finals at the age of just 15 eight years later and Gaston Gaudio prevailed in an all-Argentina final in 2004. Unbeknown to Podoroska on arrival, the baton was now firmly with her. "It felt amazing and it was the place when I was a child I always looked to on the television and imagined playing – on that court, on Philippe Chatrier," said Podoroska. "It's very special for all the Argentinian and South American players and it was special for me to play there. But, when I was there, I was saying, 'it's just a tennis court, there's nothing special about it, just play tennis and don't think about it', and it worked. "All my life and my career, I always felt that I could achieve big things and that is why I train and play tennis, to achieve big things. You always have moments where you don't feel good but I always had it on my mind that I could achieve big things." In the space of that magical fortnight, much changed. From never winning successive Tour- level matches – she had just four to her name at that point – Podoroska was suddenly, and remains, a top 50 player and a household name in Argentina. "After that tournament, for sure my ranking improved a lot and I started playing another kind of tournament and playing players at another level, so it was a big change," added Podoroska. "But, for me, day by day it is quite the same and I tried not to change too much in terms of my training, the relationship with my coaches and I have just tried to keep working hard and improve as much as I can. "Roland Garros was a wonderful time and a dream. It is what I tried to achieve and one of my goals was to be in this position. But now I Above Joyous scenes from February 2020 as Argen na defeat Colombia and advance to the Play-offs Right Podoroska made her Billie Jean King Cup debut in 2014. Here she is in 2015, signing autographs during Argen na's clash with the United States BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

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