The French Open spotlight isn’t just on established stars. Coco Gauff’s second-round opponent, Tamara Zidansek, is a rising talent with a chance to shock the world. But can the 131st-ranked player from Slovenia take down the American prodigy? While the on-court battle will answer that soon, another question piques fans’ curiosity: Who is this Slovenian player ready to challenge Gauff?

Born in 1997, the former world No. 22, Tamara Zidansek is already making headlines in the tennis world with four doubles titles and one singles title. But her prowess is not limited to the WTA tour. Zidansek, a doubles title winner on the WTA Challenger Tour, has a record of winning 17 singles titles and four doubles titles on the ITF circuit as well. 

Even as a junior player, she produced astounding results and showed promise on-court very early on. After being one of the top 20 players on the ITF Junior Circuit, Zidansek took a step toward fulfilling her dream of being a professional tennis player in 2014. Very soon, she claimed her first pro-level title at the age of 16. Since then, Zidansek hasn’t had to look back. 

A semifinalist of the French Open of 2021, Tamara Zidansek has broken records with her remarkable performance on-court. Zidansek’s run at the same year’s QFs marked the first time a Slovenian player has reached the last eight of a major since the nation’s independence in 1991. But her victory to reach the semifinal was marked by controversy. Why?

Because she was competing against Paola Badosa, who has won more matches on clay than any other WTA player in that season. Therefore, the pressure was evident during the initial sets. While the Spaniard struggled to play in her best form, Badosa was also accused of coaching violations during the game. Badosa retaliated by saying, “I did nothing,” and her anger against the chair umpire was evident while the match grew more intense. 

However, after fighting for over two hours, Tami (Zidansek) eventually earned her victory against her with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 8-6. The then-23-year-old-World No.85 became the first player representing Slovenia to make the last four of a major. After her remarkable performance, everyone was impressed and even Novak Djokovic congratulated her for her on-court talent.

Her accomplishments also pushed her to earn a place among the top 50 players for the first time in her career after that. Talking about her excellence in clay court (her favorite surface), especially in the French Open, Zidansek once said, “I have practiced on clay since I was a kid. I think I am able to do a lot with my forehand.” 

However, next year, after debuting at the Australian Open (her favorite tournament), Tamara Zidansek came back to Roland Garros to avenge herself once again. But the 26-year-old player’s French Open dreams came to an end in the third round while playing against Jessica Pegula. But Zidansek, who describes herself as an “ambitious” person, knows how to navigate success and failure in tennis, as she herself revealed in an interview.

Tamara Zidansek reveals the “key” to her success on-court

Tamara Zidansek, who first started playing tennis with her father, also has passions beyond this sport. She not only loves skiing, but also mixing in volleys and slices as well. However, when it comes to tennis, her goal is clear.

“For me, the key was to start to really believe that I can beat the top players, to believe that I am better than them, and that I belong there. In my opinion, it is necessary for a tennis player to take care of the mental side of the game in the same way that we take care of the physical aspect. ” Fluent in Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, English, and some German, off the court her interest lies elsewhere.

Zidansek describes her favorite show as F.R.I.E.N.D.S., and she loves to watch the movie Back to the Future. Zidansek, who one day would like to pet a dog, is now slowly progressing towards making more memories of playing in big stadiums. While she continues her reign at the French Open, everyone is waiting to see her perform her best on-court against Gauff.