Russian women’s tennis in terms of its development is very similar to women’s figure skating. In Soviet times and the nineties – rare hits that could be called a sensation rather than a pattern. And in the mid-2000s there was a sharp jump, literally the dawn and the presence of a huge number of talented girls at the same time, who earned almost everything that is possible in the world.
If Anastasia Myskina competed here and now in the women’s singles round, it would be much easier for her to overcome her rivals and circumstances. In general, at the moment, except for Iga Swiatek, there are no such confident favorites. In those years when Myskina’s star rose, at least a dozen tennis players of incredible talent and strength stood in her way, who were extremely difficult to beat and impose in singles.
Today is the birthday of Anastasia Myskina, who is the first tennis player from our country to win the Grand Slam tournament. This historic event happened in 2004. Myskina not only became Russia’s first Roland Garros winner, but she also played the first Russian helmet final in tennis history with Elena Dementieva.
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Anastasia became a professional tennis player in 1998, at the same time that she entered the top 500 in the WTA rankings. The path to the cherished goal is always difficult and thorny, but if she manages to get to the top, then all investments of a physical and financial nature are justified. Yes, and a life completely subservient to sports – it only looks like a romance from the outside. Constant regime and flights, time zone change, injuries and the almost complete absence of personal life – all this is a reward for fame and money.
If it were not for the iron character of Myskina herself, nothing would have happened. It is impossible to call Nastya the greatest talent in the country. He did not rank high in juniors and did not take “helmets” in his age category. The Russian woman reached Olympus through small ITF tournaments, thus increasing her place in the ranking. As a result, she managed to seriously advance in her struggle for the main prize in life.
Photo source: RIA Novosti
In February 2003, Anastasia won a major tournament in Doha. In the final, I had to play my compatriot Elena Likhovtseva, and this match was the first “Russian” final in the history of women’s tennis. Myskina confidently defeated Likhovtseva with a score of 6:3, 6:1. This victory allowed Anastasia to rise to the top ten of the women’s ranking for the first time. In fact, it was with Myskina that she began a long winning streak of Russian girls in tennis.
Surprisingly, after the triumphant French Open in 2004, Myskina played another couple of years and unexpectedly ended her career, one might say, at the peak of her abilities. For all of 2007, Anastasia played only a couple of matches and announced her retirement. She then tried herself on television, hosted various programs on central channels, not without success. But still, her love for tennis took its toll. In October 2016, Myskina was elected Vice President of the Russian Tennis Federation.
Congratulations to Anastasia Myskina on her birthday! We wish you more victories and achievements!
