One of them is the world No. 96 (in the WTA Rankings as of 15 April 2024) 20-year-old Maria Timofeeva, who headed to Europe to compete in the WTA1000 Mutua Madrid Open and Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournaments. And the “cherry on the cake” will be Roland Garros in Paris, where Maria will play in the main draw.



The Alexander Ostrovsky Academy in Khimki is not a new place for the tennis player. For almost the whole season of 2016/2017, Maria was a student of the Academy. At the beginning of 2017 she made the highest progress, winning two prestigious junior tournaments of the highest Super category (at that time Cat.1):  the Christmas Cup U14 in Khimki, and then the Les Petits As - Le Mondial Lacoste U14 in Tarbes, France. At the Christmas Cup, Maria won both singles and doubles.


But even after moving to the professional tour, Maria Timofeeva quickly achieved recognition: she won her debut title in mid-July 2023 at the WTA250 Hungarian Grand Prix tournament in Budapest (Hungary). The Russian entered the main draw as a lucky loser, as she lost in the final qualification match.


At the beginning of 2024, Maria Timofeeva sensationally reached the R4 at the Australian Open. At the start, the Russian alternately beat Alize Cornet (6/2, 6/4) and former world No.1 and 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki (1/6, 6/4, 6/1)...


Maria's goal for this season is to build on her success in the WTA Tour and ITF tournaments, which primarily include Grand Slam tournaments.

Alexander Ostrovsky Academy: Maria, we are happy to welcome you back to the Alexander Ostrovsky Academy in Khimki! What memories do you have of your time as a student?

Maria Timofeeva: The best memories. It's always a pleasure to return to the Academy. Yesterday I caught myself thinking: this place is so familiar, there are a lot of people I know here. As far as I understand, the coaching team has not changed much since that time. It was nice to see many of them. It is noticeable how the Academy is developing. The hard courts have been changed (new paint coating has been applied - editor's note). And the indoor clay courts have become better in quality. So I'm very happy to be here and train.

АOA: Compare your feelings about winning the Christmas Cup and the victory in Tarbes, France, when you were training at the Academy.

MT: Yes, 2017 is one of the most significant years in my junior career. The season turned out to be very successful, it fell during the period of training at the Academy, and then everyone here supported me immensely and congratulated me on my victories. It was great to win a home tournament, the atmosphere and the organisation were great. I have only the warmest memories.

АOA: Last July, you won your debut title in the WTA tournament as a lucky loser. After losing in the final qualifying match, you probably didn't expect to take full advantage of the chance you had again and leave this tournament as a winner, did you?

MT: It's been an unusual week for me. It seemed that everything after qualifying was over for me there before it had even started. And then somehow, miraculously, I made it to the main draw. I played my 1st round match against Daria Gavrilova, now after her marriage, she changed her surname to Saville (former Russian compatriot, former ITF junior ranking leader, who decided to play for Australia in 2015 - ed. note). I played a good match, I won (2/6, 6/3, 6/4), although she had just returned to the tour after an injury. This victory gave me confidence, I believed in my strength. After the quarter-finals, I started to realize that I was close to the title and I started to believe in winning the tournament itself. Even though at the very beginning of the tournament, success seemed unlikely.

АOA: Could you please tell us about your successful performance at the Australian Open 2024, where in the R2 you defeated former WTA ranking leader Caroline Wozniacki with a hard-fought comeback from 1/6 down in the first set.

MT: My confidence grew there from match to match, even from the qualification rounds. I gradually got used to the courts and the atmosphere of Grand Slam tournaments. I played my first two matches on the main courts and adjusted to the crowd and the environment. From there it was easier to get into the game. From the very beginning of the match with Wozniacki, for whom I have a lot of respect, I started to act wrong. Then I realised that I needed to change my game and start attacking on my own. At first, it was difficult to find my attacking style of play. But then I managed to break through her well-organised defence. The audience began to support me more actively it was interesting to watch a "dark horse" fighting on equal footing with a well-known champion. And gradually the scales tipped in my favour. During the post-match handshake, she praised me for the game and wished me good luck in the next matches. It was nice to hear such words of support from a former Australian Open champion.

АOA: Who was your favourite player during your junior tennis career, and who did you want to look up to?

MT: In women's tennis, I admired Serena Williams, not because of her playing style, but because of her warrior traits, champion mentality, focus and incredible desire to win. It was interesting to watch her defeat her opponents.


 
However, throughout my professional career, I have often been compared to Simona Halep, pointing out that I have a similar style of play and appearance. Honestly, it's a nice comparison for me.

In men's tennis, I have always admired Roger Federer.

АOA: Which surface do you feel most comfortable on?

MT: Probably hard courts. In Russia, we grew up and trained most of the time on indoor hard courts. So this is the most native surface for me. In general, I tried to minimize my performance on clay courts and didn't particularly like it. But after last year's success in Budapest, I became convinced that my game was good enough for playing on a clay court. So now I have mixed feelings about it... I can't make up my mind (laughs…)

АOA: A busy clay season is approaching...

М. Т.: Yes, just waiting for my visa to be issued so I can go to Europe. I'm looking forward to getting to Madrid next week. Next up is Rome, and a few WTA250 tournaments. At Roland Garros 2024, I got into the main draw, so I will have time to play at some other tournaments during the qualifying week.


АOA: What are your career plans for this season?

MT: My goals change very quickly, at the beginning of the year my goal was to get into the top 100 of the WTA rankings, but a successful performance in Australia brought me much closer to my desired goal. Now the goal for the end of the year is to keep up the pace, to progress and try to get into the top 70 so that I can get into the main draw at the majors all the time. If you are out of the top 100, you will have to play qualifying matches.

АOA: Where do you train outside of Moscow?

MT: I train in Koper (Slovenia), that's where my coach is from. I was mostly based there. Lately, I have been dealing with visa issues, so I don't have a permanent location at the moment. If there is an opportunity, I train at the tournament I take part in. Or I train in some visa-free country, like Turkey. But now, hopefully, I will get my visa and everything will be in place, I will move to Slovenia again and continue to prepare for tournaments there.

АOA: Maria, thank you for your time! We wish you luck and success in achieving your goals!