Bia Haddad invests in herself to become number one – 10/31/2023 – Sport

Beatriz Haddad Maia, 27, has just finished a season that she called a “year of consolidation”. After two top tennis titles in 2022, the Brazilian experienced being seeded, started to act with high expectations about her performance and, between “ups and downs”, she was satisfied with what she achieved.

Semifinalist at the French Open, at Roland Garros, the Brazilian won the singles and doubles titles of the WTA Elite Trophy last weekend, which brought together in China the best tennis players of the year outside the top 8. She will finish 2023 at the earliest , in 11th place in the world rankings – and, depending on the points defended by Czech Barbora Krejčíková, she will be in tenth.

In this process, he received U$2,693,821 (around R$13.6 million) in prizes during the season. Last week’s results alone earned him US$632.5 thousand (around R$3.2 million). These are numbers that surpass the rest of the athlete’s career, which accumulated US$5,178,077 (just over R$26 million, at current prices) on the circuit.

The values ​​are published by the WTA itself, the association of professional tennis players, but the São Paulo native sought to minimize them. According to her, the money is used for her own career, with audacious goals, such as winning Grand Slam series titles and becoming number one in the world.

“We end up having exposed the prize money. It’s one of the few professions in the world with this exposure, and not everyone would like this to be exposed. But it is the way it is. People have to understand that, within of this amount, as a Brazilian citizen, I already pay 27.5% tax, regardless of the country I am in”, she stated.

“In addition, there is the commission I pay to my team, the week of my team’s salary. I have a flight, hotel, food. I travel literally ten months a year, in dollars, with four people with me. So, my expenses are highs. And my biggest investment is my career. Everything I receive, in some way, I invest in myself”, she added.

And Bia bets big. The goal established for 2024 is to consolidate in the top 10, with classification for the WTA Finals, which brings together the best eight of the year. The São Paulo native, however, sees the possibility of climbing the rankings until reaching first place, currently occupied by Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.

“From the moment I’m number 11, each position requires a lot of effort to move up. Now, I want to be 10. When I’m 10, I’ll want to be 9. From the moment you’re 5 or 4, that’s it. fight for bigger things. So, the first objective is to be in the top 10 and establish myself there”, he said.

“But, from the moment you make a Grand Slam semi-final, you put yourself in a position to win a Grand Slam. And, when you put yourself in a position to win a Grand Slam, you put yourself in a position to dream of to be number one in the world. It’s a goal. I have to consolidate myself in the top 10, but I do believe that I will be number one”, he smiled.

Haddad has already gained the respect of most of his rivals. Now, according to her, the secret to continuing the climb is to maintain her aggressiveness in her attacks, but with greater consistency, as the top five finishers achieve. Another point is to have this consistency in the tournaments that are worth the most points, those in the Grand Slam series and those in the Masters 1000 series.

Beatriz, however, is still getting used to life as a top sportsman. On her way back from Zhuhai, where she won last week’s titles, she was surprised by the affection of a young fan. And throughout the year, especially when she had poor results after the US Open, suffering from a cut on her hand, she was irritated by the criticism.

“The people who speak have no idea about your daily life, what you are going through. When you are a public person, you have to know how to deal with criticism, but there is criticism that is not necessary. I read a lot and began to understand that the problem with this comment is the person’s problem, not mine. Maybe that person doesn’t know what they want in their life”, he said.

She mentioned Ayrton Senna, Pelé, Neymar and Gabriel Medina, taking care to say that she does not put herself on the same level when talking about dealing with expectations. “These are phenomena. I just think that I always try to do my job in the best way possible, with the greatest honesty, the greatest desire, the greatest sincerity.”

According to Bia, Brazilians are “very result-oriented”, a classification in which she herself included herself. Facing criticism will be necessary to take the next steps. Facing opponents like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, too. “Yes, I believe today that I can enter any tournament and face any player.”